Fight For You
by thechosenpen
Summary: It's been five months since former teen assassin Ariana Petrakis discovered her name on a supernatural hit list. Now she's on a new mission, determined to track down the creature responsible for this mess. But this is Beacon Hills and there is always more than meets the eye, especially when there are teenagers dropping like flies around town while the darkness looms overhead...
1. prologue

It was never meant to end up like this.

And yet here she stood, teetering on the brink of chaos.

Finally ready to fall.

Everyone has a defining moment. A moment that revealed who they were, a moment that defined who they would become. Defining moments revealed someone's true nature, showing what they were capable of. It set you on a definitive path, almost impossible to stray from. You might not even be aware that it had happened until the dust had settled in the aftermath of the storm. But once the moment had passed, there was no going back.

It was different for everyone. For some people, their defining moment was the point that they made a tough decision, throwing risk and caution to the wind to follow their heart. Maybe it was the moment they fell in love. Or the moment they gave birth to new life. Maybe it was the moment they watched someone they loved give in to death, watching the life leave their loved one's eyes for the last time. Maybe it was the moment they took someone's life. Or maybe it was the moment they saved someone, reaching out to tug them from death's grip.

Ariana often wondered if she'd had her defining moment. Was it the moment she decide to join her friends, becoming an assassin? The moment she threw away her innocence and picked up a vile of poison with the intention to kill? Was it the moment she sent shockwaves throughout an entire county? Or had it been the moment she first bumped shoulders with the boy who stole her heart? Each moment had changed her in a way, shifting her world ever so slightly.

But they didn't define her. Not like this.

The young girl had gone through a lot in the last few months. She'd loved, she'd lost, she'd destroyed. She'd found herself and then lost herself just as suddenly. She'd given as much as she could, only to receive nothing but pain back.

There had been a plan once, an exit strategy, but her friends had been violently ripped from her life before they had a chance to put it into action. They were meant to escape this pain and suffering. They were meant to move on to a new life, always wide eyed and hopeful despite their blood stained hands.

There had been a time when Ariana thought she could be better, a time when she wanted to show them all how good she could be. She wanted to be trusted, to be loved. She'd tried so hard to please them. She had tried to do everything right, only to be told she was nothing but a monster. Well enough was enough. Enough trying. It was no use denying what she really was anymore.

No more.

Now she stood, teetering on the edge of something terrifying, but she did not feel scared. She felt calm. She felt ready. Everything in the last few months had been leading up to this. All of the pain. The trauma. The lies she'd told. The truth that had cut her deep over and over again. It had all led her to the edge of chaos, finally ready. This was her last chance.

She knew the risks. This was the moment she would lose it all. She would lose the one person she had left. But it was the only way. The path was set. This was her final chance at redemption, even if it cost her everything. Now she stood on the brink, eyes closed as she let out a slow exhale.

Everyone had a defining moment in their life.

This was hers.

But it was never meant to be like _this_.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the second instalment of the Daughters of the Nemeton series! I'm so excited to bring you along on Ariana's journey again with the other girls as well as some more new characters who will be popping up! If this prologue seems familiar, that's because it takes place at the same spot as the TMD prologue, five months after season 4, w** **hich means we are slowly moving closer to the big moment of truth! I hope you enjoyed this small tease and the first chapter will be coming shortly. Feel free to leave a little review and let me know your thoughts/predictions for the story ahead!**

 **Thanks again to everyone who has supported me throughout Take Me Down and I hope you enjoy Fight For You just as much! xoxo**


	2. late

**TWO MONTHS EARLIER.**

 _"The very nature of a Darach is to destroy and corrupt the earth around them. They defy the duty of Druids, turning their back on nature and the importance of the balance. The Darach acts selfishly, stealing power through sacrificial rituals and channeling the earth's energy in unnatural ways. They go against the very role that Druids exist to fulfil._

 _Druids may start to show signs of falling into the path of a Darach through noticeable shifts in attitude, reckless behaviour or lack of control over abilities as the darkness begins to take over them. Druids may find themselves leaning towards one side, whether good or bad, as they begin to give up their focus on maintaining the balance._

 _It should be noted that once a Druid falls and gives into darkness, there is almost no going back. Redemption is rewarded by nature alone based on changes in behaviour that reveal a renewed dedication to their duties, or by an act of self sacrifice…"_

"You ever hear of regression to the mean? It's Deaton's way of saying life can't ever be all bad or all good."

Scott's voice interrupted Ariana's focus, pulling her out of her dark fears and hopeless research. Her eyes had been practically making a hole into Deaton's Druidology book, slowly drowning in a pool of growing fear, before Scott's words caught her ear. She'd been there when Deaton had talked to Scott. Ariana had sat there in Deaton's office, pursed lips and folded arms as the two of them tried to convince her that things were okay for now. Trying to convince the small druid that there was no reason to create another earthquake. It had been a failed attempt but she had to give them credit for trying.

"Things have to come back to the middle," Scott explained to Stiles, oblivious to Ariana's eavesdropping. "Think about the last few months. Things have been good, right?"

"…Yeah, I guess no one has tried to kill us in like five months," Stiles replied, his voice slightly muffled as he ducked his head back under the jeep's bonnet.

Ariana couldn't help a sense of irritation as she tried to pull her focus back to the book sitting in her lap but it was hard not to tune into Scott and Stiles' meaningless and frustrating conversation at the front of the car. Scott was throwing a wrench carelessly up in the air as Stiles hammered away in the bonnet as if whatever he was doing would help the jeep last a few more hours, the two of them seemingly forgetting about the small druid trying to do actual research in the backseat.

"Exactly. We've been pretty much in the middle for a while," Scott continued. "Which means at some point the scale has to tip one way or the other. Which means things are going to get really good again…"

"Or really bad," Stiles quipped back, whacking the bonnet with the wrench probably more for effect than anything actually helpful.

Ariana rolled her eyes at his comment, the way he threw out the suggestion so carelessly into the air. There was a nice comfortable energy around them all right now even despite the full moon looming above in the dark night sky, a sense of ease and safety that didn't quite reach Ariana's bones.

It had been almost five months since 'the Mexico Madness', as Stiles dubbed it. Five months since Ariana's life had been flipped inside out and upside down. Five months since she'd plunged a dagger into her best friend's heart and changed the course of her own life forever. Five months since they'd learned about the existence of the darkest druid, the Donas who had killed Ariana's parents years ago to steal their power. Five months of waiting for the worst while everyone else started to sink back into normalcy.

"Ari? What do you think?" Scott asked, doing his best to bring her into the conversation although maybe he had just heard the crack of thunder breaking overhead and was getting suspicious.

Tipping her head out of the back seat window, Ariana clicked her tongue doubtfully, one eyebrow raised. "I think you're both forgetting that we have a demon-druid on the loose and we are literally no closer to finding her than we were five months ago."

"And there she is with that positive attitude we all love," Stiles quipped, squinting over the car bonnet at her. "Thank you, Petrakis."

"I'm just being honest," Ariana shot back, glaring mildly at Stiles. "Sure, there's been no suspicious attacks recently but what if the Donas isn't even in Beacon Hills anymore? What if she's causing chaos somewhere else while we just sit around waiting for her to show up? Or maybe she's just biding her time. Waiting…"

"Waiting for what?" Stiles asked, a cynical expression on his face. Honestly he was the one who always assumed the worst so it was more than frustrating to see him doubt Ariana. But then again he was so determined to fulfil his little graduation plan that she couldn't blame him for hoping for the best. It didn't make him any less ignorant though.

"I don't know!" Ariana cried out sharply in reply, slamming her hands on the back of the driver's seat in front of her in irritation as the book slid off her lap. "Maybe she's just watching us to see if we're a threat. To see what we're capable of. I don't know because we literally know nothing about her. We don't even know what her third set of abilities are because we still don't know what happened to Siobhan."

"Ari, breathe," Scott said gently, eyeing her carefully, his focus dropping to her hands briefly as if he'd already sensed the small tremor flickering through her fingertips.

Ariana rolled her eyes as she inhaled deeply, flexing her fingers as she willed the energy inside to disappear, to fade away. She didn't have complete control over her abilities, far from it, despite the weekly sessions with Deaton. Sinking back into the backseat she let out a frustrated sigh, doing her best to ignore the expression on Scott's face.

"Do you think its been long enough yet?" Stiles asked, squinting up at the moon as he swiftly changed the subject. Scott seemed relieved, half a smile slipping up his lips as he watched Ariana exhale, the tension temporarily fading away again.

"Yes," Liam's slightly pained voice carried out across the forest from the tree he was currently chained to. Ariana pulled her gaze across to him, her lips pressed together as she fought back the smile now threatening to slide up her own face.

Stiles threw the young beta wolf a glare as he pointed his spanner in Liam's direction. "Hey, trying to have an adult conversation over here," he called out, raising an eyebrow.

"Alright, you're two years older than me. And Ariana was talking too! Anyway I'm fine! Just let me go," Liam pleaded, tugging slightly against the chains wrapped against his body.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Scott said as he slid off the bonnet of the jeep and moved towards his beta.

Stiles was quick to follow Scott though, pausing briefly to roll his eyes at Ariana as she slid out of the jeep. "It's that I don't trust you," he called as he sauntered towards Liam with a smirk.

Scott was standing in front of Liam now, his arms folded doubtfully across his chest as he studied Liam closely. "It's just after the last full moon…" he trailed off.

Liam let out a defeated sigh, dropping his head down in embarrassment. "It was one slip up!"

"Slip up? A dozen calls to the Sheriff's department about a monstrous dog-boy running around the streets of Beacon Hills naked. That's a slip up?" Stiles quipped sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, why were you naked?" Scott asked, tilting his head slightly as he wrinkled his eyes in curiosity.

Liam raised his eyebrows innocently as Ariana ducked her head behind Stiles to hide the smirk growing on her lips. "Well-I- I just…We…" Liam trailed off awkwardly as he looked helplessly over at Ariana, the chains jingling slightly as he struggled against them.

Stiles glanced back at Ariana, catching her smirk and glaring back at Liam with a look of dawning realisation. "Oh…okay gross. No, no thank you. Not putting that in my head," he remarked, shaking his head as he twisted his face into a look of disgust. Honestly, he was such a teenage boy sometimes.

"We weren't…I mean we didn't…We just…" Liam was still stammering, trying to explain himself but he was doing a terrible job as he squirmed uncomfortably while Scott tried to speed up the unchaining process so he could get away from the rapidly growing awkward situation.

"We didn't do anything because Liam wolfed out the moment he took his shirt off and bolted outside," Ariana interrupted finally, unable to maintain composure for any longer as she burst into giggles at the memory. Having Liam leaping off her body in the middle of making out had certainly been unexpected but that was nothing compared to hearing Scott's frantic call only minutes later asking if she'd seen a naked Liam.

As Scott finally tugged the chains away from Liam's body, the young beta gave a huff of annoyance, twisting to free his body entirely. "Thanks, Ari," Liam said sarcastically, narrowing his eyes as he moved away from the tree, folding his arms across his chest.

"You sure you're okay though? You're in complete and total control?" Scott asked Liam seriously.

"Yeah, complete and total. Total control." Liam's eyes flickered to Ariana briefly before bobbing his head up and down in affirmation as he spoke.

"Alright let's get going," Scott said after a moment, patting Liam on the shoulder as Stiles scooped up the pile of chains back into the duffel bag and ushered Ariana towards the jeep again.

Ariana followed Stiles dutifully, still smirking slightly as Stiles gave a little shudder at the thought of her and Liam again. "Like you can judge us. You and Malia are disgusting," she said half under her breath, scrunching her face up at Stiles as he spun to glare at her.

"Do you _want_ to walk back to town?" Stiles asked, raising a threatening eyebrow as he tossed his car keys up in the air, catching them with practiced ease.

Ariana rolled her eyes as the two of them reached the car. "Sure Stiles, leave me here and I'll just call your dad and tell him you left a small teenage girl to fend for herself on the full moon."

"You and I both know you'd be fine." Stiles raised an eyebrow at Ariana, daring her to disagree and admit weakness. They both knew she'd be fine against almost any werewolf though. She'd already proved that against Peter back in Mexico, not to mention in the little training sessions Scott had insisted on giving her over the last few months to make sure she could defend herself properly.

"Well your dad doesn't know that. Or maybe I'll just call Melissa and you can deal with her," Ariana shot back, raising an eyebrow back at Stiles, holding back a satisfied grin when he huffed, swinging the jeep's back door open for her to slide in.

As much as it baffled Ariana, she had to admit it was nice to see how protective Melissa had become of her over the last few months. Ariana was practically living at the McCall's house these days, as much as she hated being a burden. She tried to alternate between Liam's house and Scott's, flickering between the two houses to keep herself from being a nuisance, but Melissa had quickly become like a mother figure to the small druid.

"Ugh, thank you" Ariana huffed as she climbed into the backseat, accepting the bag of chains from Stiles with a slight groan as the weight of the chains took her by surprise. "Okay, let's just get going." She spoke just as Scott swung the driver's door open, slinging his body easily into the seat as Liam hurried along a few steps behind him, the beta jogging the last few steps around the car before sliding in beside Ariana.

Ariana reached out to squeeze Liam's hand but before she could even brush fingers with him, his hands were already buried deep into his pockets, his eyes staring steadily at the road ahead.

* * *

"So What's at midnight?" Liam asked the older boys curiously as Ariana turned the page in Deaton's book, her eyes skimming over the words describing the use of tectonic currents.

It was harder to read while the jeep bumped along the road, but Ariana was determined to take in every word. It was the same thing she'd read already but she was determined to find something new, something helpful in here. Anything to help her channel the darkness, anything to give her an edge when she finally faced the Donas. She'd been planning another night of big research until she'd realised Liam would need her presence for the full moon, and he hadn't seemed thrilled to see the book tucked under her arm when they left, but she had remained stubborn.

"Your bedtime," Stiles retorted, glancing back at Liam. They'd been having this discussion ever since Scott and Stiles had picked the younger two up, with Stiles insisting they were not allowed to be late to wherever the senior kids were going tonight.

Liam was determined to get some answers though, leaning forward a little in his seat. "Why aren't the girls going?"

Stiles let out a huff of exasperation, turning in his seat to glare at Liam. "They're meeting us there. And just stop asking questions! You're worse than Ariana."

"Rude," Ariana remarked bluntly, only half listening as she skimmed through another page of Deaton's book, her eyes narrowing as she glanced over the page she'd turned to. There were a few images on the page, demonstrating the variety of natural power sources for Druids, things she'd read several times already, but something about the images seemed a little off upon a closer inspection, like her eyes were playing tricks on her, the images of birds swimming in and out of her vision.

"Woah…What the hell?" Scott interrupted Ariana's concentration for the second time tonight as the jeep's engine made a worrying bang sound before coming to a slow halt as Stiles let out a string of expletives.

"You out of gas?" Liam asked.

"No…it's electrical. Probably the damn alternator again," Stiles huffed as he flung himself out of the driver's seat. Scott paused for a moment, glancing back at Liam and Ariana in the backseat before sighing and climbing out of the car, probably to go stop Stiles from tearing his own jeep apart.

"You doing okay?" Ariana asked, glancing up from her book to where Liam was pressed against his seat, eyes clenched shut a little too tightly to give off any sense of relaxation. "Hey, talk to me," she urged, shifting across the backseat to nudge Liam gently.

Liam inhaled deeply, his gaze pulled out to the road ahead. Ariana watched him patiently, taking in the way his jaw clenched and unclenched. She'd known tonight would be tough for Liam which is why she'd insisted on tagging along with Scott and Stiles. Not to mention, she needed the distraction herself.

"I'm fine," Liam said finally, although his tone did nothing to convince Ariana. "I'll be fine," he repeated when Ariana just raised an eyebrow back. She didn't say anything though, just pursing her lips as she nodded, turning back to Deaton's druidology book again.

"Why are you still obsessing over that?" Liam asked after a moment, his brow furrowed in annoyance as he stared down at the book as if it had personally offended him. "You've read it cover to cover like twenty times in the last few months. You haven't found anything useful."

"Yet. Nothing _yet_ ," Ariana shot back, her temper slipping out momentarily as she tensed up. "I just need to keep looking. I need to be ready for when the Donas comes."

"You've spent the last few months saying that and nothing has happened. Maybe she's never coming," Liam said with a shrug. "Can't we just be happy that things are good now?"

Ariana furrowed her brow as she turned to face Liam properly, frustration bubbling inside. "I am happy but I'm not naive," she retorted. "I just want to be prepared. I don't want anyone to get hurt the next time something bad shows up." They'd had this argument too many times to count over the last few months. Liam kept insisting that Ariana was worrying with no reason, but she knew she was right. Ariana knew there was something coming. She could feel it, just like she could feel the tug of darkness in her veins.

Before either of them could continue the argument, a bolt of lightning cracked down half a mile away from the car, the entire road lighting up for a brief second before plunging back into darkness again.

"Ari…Was that you?" Liam asked quietly, his voice a little uneasy as he glanced over at her, his fists clenching tightly in his lap.

Ariana exhaled slowly, shaking her head as her gaze lingered on the road behind them. "That wasn't me…I definitely can't make lightening."

"Well you've created earthquakes and wind so maybe…"

"It wasn't me, Liam," Ariana repeated as she kept her gaze focused on the road behind them, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Another crack of lightening struck down only a few feet from the car again, causing the two of them to jump slightly.

"Guys?" Liam yelled out to Scott and Stiles, reaching out to grab Ariana's hand for a moment, squeezing it briefly. Ariana squeezed it back, trying to steady her own heartbeat as she stared up at the sky.

"Liam, Ari stay in the car!" Scott called out, holding a hand up in warning to the two of them as if he expected them to suddenly leap out.

Ariana rolled her eyes now, tipping her head out of the window to glare at Stiles for the hundredth time tonight. "I literally haven't moved. I'm literally the only one here wearing a seatbelt," she called back, sticking her tongue out when Stiles threw her a withering look.

Before Scott could tell anyone to calm down, another bolt of lightning cracked down only a few feet away. A second later, the car suddenly started up again with no warning, causing the four of them to stare at each other in confusion. Ariana could see something in Scott's eyes, a hint of uncertainty, like maybe he was finally starting to understand Ariana's fears.

Liam seemed not to notice anyone worrying though. "Can we go now?" he asked Stiles, waving a hand impatiently as Ariana sunk back into the seat beside him with a huff. Scott pulled his gaze back to the car, nodding as he and Stiles climbed back inside.

As Stiles tugged the jeep back into drive Ariana stared up at the sky, her eyes widening a fraction as she spotted a large flock of birds circling wildly overhead. It was hard to see in the dark, but they almost looked like crows. Almost exactly like the birds Ariana had witnessed in her never-ending nightmares. Before she could comment or look any closer to determine what she was seeing, the jeep took off down the road and Ariana lost sight of them.

* * *

"Gen? Hey Genevieve…You okay, honey?"

Genevieve snapped her head up at the sound of her name, her eyes flickering between hazel and golden as she pulled herself out of her intense concentration on the stained wooden floorboard. Standing in front of her was Kaitlyn Schaar, one of Satomi's older betas. She was one of the few werewolves in Satomi's pack who had bothered to engage with Genevieve and so far she was the first person to speak to Genevieve tonight. Her long dark hair fell across her face, almost covering her twinkling eyes as she crouched down to lock eyes with Genevieve.

"I'm fine," Genevieve said quickly, tucking her tightly clenched fists into her lap as she pulled a somewhat convincing smile onto her features. "Just feeling the full moon a bit tonight, that's all."

Kaitlyn pursed her lips as she rocked backwards until she was sitting cross-legged opposite Genevieve. "Right. I know it can be tough sometimes. Especially if you're a little distracted," she said as she raised one eyebrow.

Genevieve furrowed her brow as she glanced around at the rest of Satomi's pack as they all huddled together, all working together to stay calm and in control as the full moon illuminated the room. They all seemed to be coping, chattering amongst themselves while Genevieve sat in the corner, a blanket wrapped around her tiny frame as she waited for the worst to be over.

This wasn't a new occurrence, by any means. Genevieve had settled comfortably in Satomi's pack over the last few months but her mind liked to wander more than she was proud to admit. At least she didn't have a big role in the pack. All she had to do was sit and listen as Satomi went over the latest threats and pack reminders, warnings of areas to avoid around town and ensuring that everyone was keeping calm and caring for each other. The meetings were never too serious, not now that the supernatural deadpool was officially over. The risks had been eliminated, or so Satomi kept assuring her pack.

But Genevieve couldn't let her mind rest as easily as the rest of the pack. Maybe it was her anxiety, an issue that had only been exaggerated by her wolf abilities. Or maybe it was the fact that she was surrounded by a pack built on staying passive, staying safe and away from the dangers. It was smart, practical and built on a method of survival. They stayed away from danger and they stayed alive. But something kept tugging on the back of Genevieve's mind. Something wouldn't let her body fully relax.

Perhaps it was the tall blue-eyed werewolf currently avoiding her gaze from across the room.

Brett was sitting with a few other younger pack members, Jiang and Tierney, talking in low tones as they leaned over a deck of cards, playing some kind of mindless game to keep their brains occupied. The other two seemed quite calm, laughing as they bickered lightly over who was currently losing. If someone didn't know any better, they might assume Brett was equally relaxed.

But Genevieve knew him well by now. She could see the tension sitting between his shoulders, the way his hands clutched his cards a little too tightly, revealing white knuckles. She could see the way his jaw remained clenched, even as he smiled at his friends. He was just as distracted as she was. And Genevieve didn't blame him. How else could she expect him to act after the mess they'd left in the aftermath of their break-up?

There they had been in the middle of July, two hearts shattering in the middle of Satomi's backyard as the sun had set behind them, an icy frost settling in the air. It would have been a beautiful image if not for the fact that it had been a complete tragedy. Four months of trying and failing to make each other happy only for it to all fall apart over a stupid argument. But there was no going back now. Genevieve couldn't take back her vicious words, desperate and intending to hurt. And she couldn't un-hear the cruelty in Brett's tone that night.

"Hey, you'll be fine," Kaitlyn pulled Genevieve out of her thoughts, reaching out to brush a hand over Genevieve's face gently. "Just give it time, kid."

Genevieve nodded, easing herself slightly out of Kaitlyn's reach as she inhaled slowly. She could feel her claws itching to poke out, her body ready to slip and lose control at any second and having Brett distracting her with his presence definitely wasn't helping. But she couldn't lose control. She couldn't be weak. Not now, not in front of the rest of the pack.

"I just need some air," she said after a minute, untangling her limbs as she offered Kaitlyn a reassuring smile. "I'll be back in a minute!"

As Genevieve ducked out of the room and moved to the front door, she could feel Brett's eyes following her. She didn't need to look back to imagine the look of sorrow on his face, the bitterness fighting with longing.

* * *

"Sorry we're late!" Stiles called out of the car as he pulled the jeep into a messy attempt to park, tugging the handbrake on. As soon as the car came to a halt, Malia was at the driver's window, leaning in to give Stiles a long and slightly excessive kiss hello.

Liam waited until they came up for air before he leaned forward with a cheeky expression. "I'm sorry too," he quipped as Ariana let out a scoff.

"You do remember I own a gun…" Malia's dad raised one eyebrow at Stiles and Liam while Ariana rolled her eyes at the older girl.

Stiles seemed a little stunned, nodding his head as he settled back into his seat. "Vividly."

"And your girlfriend is sitting right here with the ability to cause a storm," Ariana said dryly to Liam, folding her arms across her chest.

"I just meant…I was just being nice!" Liam spluttered as he slid across in the backseat, letting Ariana move closer to him to make room for Malia.

As Malia squished into the backseat beside Ariana she gave Ariana's arm a light squeeze in greeting, pointed ignoring Liam. The two girls had definitely become a little closer over the last few months now that they were both on the same side, mostly bonding over their abilities to exasperate Stiles on a daily basis. Malia had also been adamant on helping Ariana train with the pack and she was one of the few people who wasn't afraid to hold back when they went against each other in little sparring matches. Obviously Ariana lacked supernatural speed but she had the elements on her side and the more she practiced using her abilities carefully and respectfully, the more Deaton had assured her she'd be rid of the darkness inside, sending it back to the earth again.

"What?" Malia asked, frowning as she glanced away from Ariana and spotted Stiles' expectant expression, one equally matched by Scott, the two of them staring silently at her.

"Did you find out yet?" Stiles asked impatiently, his head waggling slightly as he stared at his girlfriend, waiting for an answer.

Liam seemed a little confused. "Find out what?" he asked. Ariana knew what this was about of course, but she kept her mouth shut, mentally willing Liam to stop talking.

"They're going to email me." Malia spoke quickly, glaring slightly at Stiles in a useless attempt to get him to shut up. Clearly neither of these boys were getting the message though as they both continued to stare at Malia.

"Is this about summer school?" Liam asked, leaning over Ariana to stare at Malia curiously. Ariana elbowed him as she rolled her eyes, ignoring his cry of protest as he sunk back into the seat.

Malia turned to stare at Liam, taking in Ariana's apologetic look. After a moment of realisation, she let out a huff, tilting her head slightly as she glared at Stiles. "You told them?"

Liam shook his head in a desperate attempt to ease the tension growing in the jeep. "No, all they said was you had to go to summer school because the principal said your test scores weren't good enough and you might have to repeat junior year."

Honestly Liam needed to learn when to stop talking. Ariana bit her lip, watching as Stiles pinched his nose in frustration, shaking his head slightly at Liam.

"We should've left him tied to the tree," Stiles muttered almost under his breath but loud enough for Liam to let out another cry of protest. Ariana reached out to squeeze Liam's hand, biting down a giggle.

"Alright now that everyone knows about that, can we go now?" Malia asked, irritation still present in her voice as she folded her arms across her chest, glaring at Scott and Stiles.

"We need to stop at the hospital first so Liam's dad can take him and Ariana home. Then we can go," Scott explained to Malia as Stiles pulled the jeep back onto the road, the mystery of the senior's plans for the night continuing as Liam let out a huff of frustration.

* * *

As she stepped out into the cold biting air, Genevieve didn't focus on Brett's heartbreaking expression anymore because suddenly she had a feeling someone else was watching her.

"Hello?" Genevieve called out suspiciously, hugging her arms around her body as she gazed around at the front garden, trying to work out what had caused her senses to spike up so suddenly. There was a rustle in the shadows somewhere and she tensed up, waiting for whoever was there to reveal themselves.

She was only met with silence though, the air stilling itself once again. It was strange but then again Genevieve knew she was on edge tonight with the moon so it was probably just her imagination. This was Satomi's shelter. Her safe house. They were protected here. Before Genevieve could exhale the anxiety away, she felt her phone buzzing in her overalls pocket and she tugged it out, eyes still flickering anxiously out into the trees nearby just in case.

FROM ARIANA:

Hey how r u feeling? Still human?

Genevieve bit back a smile at the message, her heart swelling a little. It was odd but even several months on she was still so grateful for her rekindled friendship with Ariana. They'd taken a while to get there with endless awkward conversations and working out where exactly they stood now, but she felt like they'd finally found their way back to each other now. Things would never be the same, but Genevieve finally felt like she had her friend back, no matter how suspicious Brett remained of the small druid.

FROM GEN:

No claws yet!

She hit reply quickly, ignoring the itching feeling at the end of her knuckles, the claws waiting to reveal themselves. She didn't need Ariana to worry about her, not right now. Ariana was busy enough with her own abilities and her in depth research with Deaton as she tried to learn how to use the powers she'd only gained a few months ago. She didn't need to be worrying about Genevieve's struggle with control lately too. That was her own burden to bear.

While Genevieve knew she was stronger than most new wolves, being a born wolf with powers that had been locked for over a decade definitely came at a price. There was the strength she was yet to fully get a grip on, the overload of senses that sometimes pushed her anxiety a little too far. The rage that bubbled up inside sometimes without warning, causing her to startle even herself. It was no wonder things had gone so terribly wrong with Brett given Genevieve's mental state lately, not that she could excuse his words either. Still, she couldn't lie to herself. It was definitely harder these days without Brett's calming nature at her side, but at least she still had the rest of the pack to guide her while the dust settled between them.

Before Genevieve could let her brain get any more distracted, the rustling in the trees returned, a little louder this time as if whatever was creating the noise had moved closer. Genevieve felt her body tensing up again as she straightened up, eyes glowing a golden yellow as she searched into the darkness. "Who's there?" she asked, hating how soft her voice sounded.

Finally she spotted a figure moving out from behind the trees, an attractive boy who looked a few years older than her, a confident smirk on his chiseled face as he moved closer to her, his face finally reaching the light from Satomi's porch.

"Hey, sorry to spook you. I'm just looking for someone," he said cheerfully, holding up his hands in defence.

Genevieve narrowed her eyes as the boy moved closer, something about his attitude giving her a bad feeling already. Then again, she was in a tense mood and that probably wasn't his fault. "Who are you looking for?" she asked warily, folding her arms across her chest partly to hide the claws edging out over her nails.

The boy came to a halt a few feet away from her, as if he sensed her uncertainty, keeping his distance as he smiled across at her. "I'm looking for Scott McCall. I'm an old friend of his. My name is Theo."

* * *

The hospital was more crowded than Ariana had anticipated and she found herself moving a little closer to Malia and Stiles as she followed them through the corridors, one hand gripped tightly in Malia's to prevent herself from getting separated amongst the masses. Scott and Liam had gone to see if Liam's father had finished his shift, leaving Ariana with Stiles and Malia, winding their way through the swarms of patients and nurses rushing past. Clearly the storm had caused more chaos than anyone had anticipated, judging by the frantic look on several nurses' faces. Finally after a bit of wandering, the trio rounded the corner of the East Wing where Melissa McCall was hunched over a computer at the reception desk.

"Hi Melissa," Ariana called out as she trotted down the hall half a step behind Malia and Stiles, her eyes lighting up a little at the sight of Scott's mother a few feet away.

Melissa's eyes were focused on the computer in front of her, typing away madly, but a bright warm smile lifted onto her lips as she heard Ariana's voice. She finished typing up just as Ariana reached the desk.

"Hey sweetie," Melissa said, reaching up to squeeze Ariana's hand in greeting, giving a nod to Malia and Stiles as they came to a halt at the desk, hovering just behind Ariana.

"Is he here?" Ariana asked, her chin lifted slightly in hope as she glanced around at everyone rushing past. She knew she asked the same thing every time she visited Melissa at the hospital but she couldn't help herself, especially when tonight seemed so chaotic.

Melissa just sighed though, shaking her head as she glanced around at the swarm of nurses ducking around the corner. "No, still no sign of Lucas. Like I said before, all I know is he transferred to another hospital a few months ago. We're understaffed tonight so he might have been called in but I haven't seen him yet."

Ariana sighed, defeated yet again. After the incident in Mexico she'd made it clear she wasn't ready to talk to Lucas, despite his knowledge of the situation. As much as she needed answers, she'd needed time to process. But that had been months ago. She was ready to talk now. She was ready to find out how much Lucas knew, to see if he could put the puzzles together properly. To see what he knew about the Donas, if anything. But just when she was ready to talk, Lucas had vanished from sight, switching hospitals and apparently switching off his cellphone and cutting off all contact. As if the search for Siobhan hadn't been frustrating enough, now Ariana was stuck looking for another person who clearly didn't want to be found.

Before Ariana could interrogate Melissa any further, Scott and Liam came around the corner, both looking a little frustrated.

"Dad's still in surgery so he won't be out for a few more hours," Liam said quietly to Ariana as he moved to her side, shrugging which only highlighted the tension between his shoulder blades. He was clearly a little annoyed at the change in plans, or maybe he was just feeling the full moon a little more now that he was surrounded by all the noise, making it harder to focus on remaining human.

"Hey, have you heard from Kira yet?" Stiles asked Scott expectantly.

Ariana frowned at the mention of Kira, having practically lived with Scott for the last few months so she was well aware of the likeliness of Kira texting Scott.

"No…" Scott trailed off, wringing his hands together gently as he shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. "I mean I figured she'd probably call Malia before she calls me anyway."

"You mean you still haven't talked to her since she left?" Malia piped up, furrowing her brow slightly, clearly not fully understanding the delicacy of the situation Kira and Scott had thrown themselves into over the break.

"I mean we ended things when she was in New York. It would be weird now if I just called her up again," Scott explained half-heartedly, a pained expression on his face as he looked at Ariana as if waiting for him to give him some kind of validation.

"You're going to have to talk to her eventually," Ariana offered with a sympathetic shrug. She didn't have enough experience with break ups thankfully, apart from her brief relationships in middle school, and her and Liam were solid enough that it wasn't a lingering fear so she really didn't have any idea how to help Scott.

Before anyone else could pipe up and offer more helpful advice for the situation, there was a new sound of chaos coming from down the hall as a swarm of nurses suddenly burst around the corner, all talking hurriedly as they past the pack.

"What's going on?" Scott asked as he watched his mother gathering up a handful of papers from the printer, her expression shifting into someone ready for action as another nurse wheeled a patient past them on a gurney, the lady letting out a groan of pain as she clutched at her thigh, eyes clenched shut in pain.

"Deer on the road caused a major car pile up on Highway One-Fifteen," Melissa called over her shoulder as she disappeared around the corner, already ready to leap into action.

"Donas," Ariana whispered under her breath, completely unnoticed by the others as they geared up to go and find Kira. This was a sign. The birds, the lightening. The wild animals causing chaos. It was a sign that the Donas was near. It had to be. She'd waited months for a sign, for any kind of clue to lead her closer to the chaos she knew was coming. Something was coming.

* * *

The screams were a little louder today, a little more insistent in the back of her mind as they nudged their way forward, blocking any sense of focus on reality, any hope of sanity. The drugs had been working well lately, up until this week anyway. It had almost been like bliss or the closest thing to it. For several weeks she'd had some sort of peace. Or was it months? Time seemed slow down these days, days all blurring together. Sometimes the screams had faded to a dull buzz, enough to let the raven haired ball of wrath get some sleep.

But Siobhan had a sneaking suspicion that someone had lowered her dosage again recently. Someone had clearly been meddling with her medication, fiddling it to suit their own agenda. There was only one reason for that. One reason for someone to have an interest in her enough to actually look at the medication she'd been put on ever since he had dumped her in this damn hellhole.

"Hey kiddo."

Siobhan didn't move at the sound of his voice, keeping her gaze steady on the white ceiling above her as she remained lying on the small stiff mattress. She didn't need to look at Lucas to know he was pulling some irritatingly neutral expression right now, as if he wasn't responsible for trapping her in this nightmare. "Late," she said simply, her tone bored and devoid of any emotion.

"Sorry, the storm is nasty out there. You should be grateful I'm here instead of at the other hospital tonight."

" _Grateful_." Siobhan would have her eyes at the word if she'd had the energy but she just threw her disdain into her tone instead. "Smokes?" she asked after a moment, examining her nails. She used to have so much pride for her nails, always perfectly manicured. They looked awful now. She was almost disappointed, but that would have required feeling anything and she couldn't be bothered with emotions today.

"How are you feeling?" Lucas was great at deflecting, a skill he utilised for the hundredth time as he leaned against the cool glass.

"Like I need a smoke," Siobhan shot back, shifting to pull herself into a sitting position, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared at a spot on the wall just above his head, refusing to make eye contact.

"You're not getting cigarettes." Lucas almost sounded amused, if not for the slight exasperation in his tone. He only had himself to blame though.

"Why? Just throw in some nicotine into my meds. I won't tell." Siobhan dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper although her old smirk didn't quite reach her eyes.

Lucas let out a small chuckle, almost condescending. "Right. And who could you tell?" he asked.

"Rot in hell, Lucas. You threw me in here like an animal. The second I escape, you're the first one dead." An emotion, anger perhaps, slipped out into her tone briefly, and Siobhan felt her muscles tensing up, ready to fight, but she deflated just as quickly, sinking back against the wall as the screams pushed against her temple again, having used up all of her energy in one sentence.

"You know why I took you here," Lucas said calmly, unmoved by her short display of emotion, as rare as it was.

"Right…Safe. To protect. No explanation." Siobhan closed her eyes briefly with a sigh. "Why? Why do they scream? Why do I hear them?"

Lucas sighed, folding his arms across his chest as he looked at her. "I can't give you all the answers yet." The same line he'd been recycling for months, ever since he'd trapped her here.

"Soon."

"We'll see. When the time is right I'll tell you everything. I promise," Lucas said, his tone indicating otherwise as he shifted his weight across his feet.

Siobhan shook her head though. He'd misinterpreted her. Or maybe she'd misspoken. Her brain was too clouded right now to tell the difference, but she pushed on, insistent. "No. It's coming soon."

That seemed to confuse Lucas a little. "What is?" he asked, frowning.

Siobhan fell silent for a moment, her eyes glazing over slightly as she pondered. Then finally Siobhan lowered her eyes to lock directly on Lucas for the first time since he'd arrived as she uttered one simple word. "Death."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey folks sorry this took a bit longer than anticipated but here we are with the first proper chapter of FFY back with the whole gang! This is set in season 5 so we've had a little time jump of 5 months from the end of Take Me Down and I hope you enjoyed seeing where all the characters are now and where they're heading! This chapter was mostly to set up where everyone is now as well as introducing a few new faces haha. Please let me know all your thoughts/predictions/fears and leave a review if you can! And thank you to everyone who left wonderful reviews on the prologue! Your support all means so much :) Thanks for reading!**


	3. storm

It was common knowledge that Ariana hated being left out of things, so as the entire pack ran out of the hospital, leaving Liam and Ariana to wait for Liam's stepfather to take them home, it was no surprise that Ariana was instantly irritated. As soon as Scott disappeared around the corner with strict instructions for Liam and Ariana to stay put, Ariana slumped into a spare chair, arms folded across her chest. Her left leg started bouncing impatiently almost as soon as she was seated, a bad habit she'd picked up from Violet a long time ago and had never been able to shake off.

Liam didn't sit though, clearly feeling anxious himself. Instead, he paced up and down the hallway as Ariana watched silently, his body weaving swiftly in between the crowds of nurses and patients. After a few minutes he finally marched back up to Ariana, determination in his eyes. "I need to go and find my stepdad," he declared, as if he was making a brave and bold choice when it was more likely he was just sick of pacing already.

Ariana couldn't blame him, especially after spying the red marks in his palms, evidence that the full moon was affecting him more than he wanted to admit. She nodded silently at his declaration but made no effort to move out of her seat. "You go, I'll wait here," she said, tugging a smile onto her lips.

There was a brief pause between the two of them, full of something Ariana couldn't quite put words to. But before she could doubt the look in his eyes, Liam leaned down to press a kiss to her lips, his knuckles brushing against her cheek.

"I'll be so quick. I'll just go get an update. See if we can get out of here soon," Liam said softly, giving her another quick kiss, his lips warm against hers. "You'll be okay?"

"I'm not the one feeling the full moon tonight," Ariana reminded him quietly, raising an eyebrow although there was no malice in her words, just a hint of amusement. "I'll be fine!" she insisted again, reaching out to squeeze his hand before nodding her head to send him off. He left, reluctantly, disappearing around the corner with a quick glance behind to her, ever worried about her.

Ariana wondered if he could sense the odd feeling she'd been carrying around lately, the dark tug against her lungs. Not enough to mention to Scott yet, but heavy enough to feel now as she sat waiting for Liam to return. It was an uncomfortable feeling, like the pre-nausea you might get before you were about to throw up. Like her body was ready to leap over the edge but something in her was still resisting.

"Ariana?"

At the sound of her name, Ariana glanced around, her brow furrowing slightly as she locked eyed with the last person she'd expected to see tonight. "Miss Carmen?" Ariana winced inwardly as she felt her voice shift, immediately making herself smaller in vocal tone as well as physical frame as she curled up slightly at the sight of her first foster parent.

Carmen moved slowly towards Ariana. Her long burgundy skirt covered her shoes, giving the impression that she was gliding down the hallway. She stopped in front of Ariana, thin lips pursed as she stared down, her dark hooded eyes almost boring into Ariana's soul. "What are you doing here, sweetie? Are you in trouble?" she asked, her voice lilting in concern.

Ariana bit her bottom lip as she brought her arms across her chest, hugging them to her body tightly. "No, just here with a friend. I'm fine," she said shortly, pulling a convincing smile onto her lips as she stood up, doing her best to minimise how much she needed to stare up at Carmen. It didn't make a big difference given how short Ariana was, but she knew Carmen thrived on looking down her nose at her foster children so Ariana needed every inch she could get. Carmen would see right through it of course, but it was the effort that counted right now. Maybe if she was convincing enough, Carmen would have the sense to leave her alone.

It wasn't that Ariana disliked Carmen, at least not more than any of her other foster carers. It was just that Carmen was remarkably skilled at disguising her manipulation and selfish nature under false layers of affection and love. She'd managed to convince a young Ariana that she was never going to get adopted because of her poor attitude, constantly suggesting more reasons why Ariana was unlovable. Ariana had moved through several foster homes throughout her brief childhood but Carmen's words had always followed her, only enhancing her bad attitude.

"Well you don't look fine. You look terrible," Carmen stated bluntly, raising one thin eyebrow as she looked down at Ariana. "Stand up straight. You're going to make the nurses worry if you keep hunching over like that."

"Sorry, Miss Carmen," Ariana said, hating the meek tone that slipped out automatically. Immediately craving some kind of release from this hit of nostalgia, Ariana stood up ridiculously straight, making her back stiff and rigid as she exaggerated the movement, raising a snarky eyebrow up at the woman. "Better?"

Carmen seemed unimpressed. "Now you look like a stiff corpse, sweetie. I see you haven't lost the bad manners. Those friends of yours were a bad influence on you." There was an odd look in her eyes suddenly, a cruel glint.

Of course Carmen heard about Violet and Garrett's deaths. She'd always made it her business to know all about all orphans and foster children in Beacon Hills and she'd never passed over an opportunity to make snide comments about Violet. The raven haired orphan had been too stubborn, unaffected by Carmen's cruelty, unable to be controlled by her at all. Still, as expected as it was, the comments stung and Ariana had to bite on the inside of her cheek to keep herself focused, inhaling slowly before she started another natural disaster. The storm outside was already bad enough without her input.

"Lucky they're gone then," Ariana managed to say finally, letting the awful words fall from her lips bitterly. "So what are you doing here?" she asked, arms folding themselves across her chest firmly.

"I nearly forgot how nosy you can be," Carmen remarked drily as she let her eyes drift across the hallway to a clutter of nurses all whispering in urgent tones, clearly concerned about the storm outside. "Just picking up another clumsy child as soon as he can be released," Carmen explained, the lack of empathy towards her foster children imminent in her tone.

Just as she spoke, a doctor rounded the corner. He spotted Carmen immediately, raising a hand up to catch her attention. "Henry is ready for you to take home now, Ms Darcy," he called out, with a small nod. He didn't move closer, clearly too busy to stand around for too long. As soon as Carmen nodded back, he turned swiftly on his heel and disappeared the way he had come.

Carmen turned to Ariana, inhaling slowly as she did so. She looked taller suddenly, the simple act of breathing somehow allowing her to tower over Ariana. Her eyes stared intently at Ariana as if she was seeing through her and Ariana shifted her weight across her feet, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Well if you happen to find my dear son around here, please tell Lucas he owes his mother a phone call," Carmen said after a moment. Her mouth quirked up slightly, a joke running through her mind that she didn't have the kindness to say aloud. "And look after yourself, sweetie."

As she moved to go, Carmen raised her pale hand up to Ariana's cheek to touch it gently, the unexpected act of kindness startling Ariana slightly. Carmen didn't pause though, letting her hand fall back to her side gracefully as she moved past Ariana to follow the doctor back around the corner.

Ariana stood still, feeling an odd wave of numbness washing over her body as she watched Carmen disappear. Her face felt cold where Carmen's fingers had touched, although Carmen's hands hadn't felt particularly cold at the touch. It was more like a lingering feeling, like her moment of affection had left an imprint on Ariana somehow. Whatever it was, it didn't feel quite right.

Lifting her left hand to touch her face, Ariana frowned. Her cheeks felt cold, but her hand felt even colder now, as if the temperature had transferred. As she drew her hand away, Ariana drew in a sharp breath. Her hand was shaking, trembling on its own accord. And the longer Ariana stared, the more her hand began to shake. Until it wasn't just her hand. It was her arms. And her legs. The vibrations were beginning to travel down her entire body, growing by the second.

"No….no, no no," Ariana mumbled as she glanced frantically around the hallway. The nurses hadn't seemed to notice yet but it wasn't long until they would realise. She was seconds away from being discovered.

Before Ariana could take a breath, she ran out of time.

There was an ominous rumble from down below as Ariana felt the earthquake exploding underneath her. The cracks were appearing in the floors faster than Ariana could catch her breath and she felt her heart clenching in her chest as the terrified screams from nurses and patients alike began to infiltrate her eardrums.

The ceiling was shaking now, plaster and dust falling all around Ariana as she stood frozen in fear, watching the entire building begin to crumble around her. The screams were only getting louder, people running past her as they flung their arms up to protect themselves but it was no use. Several sections of the hospital had burst into flames as a result of the earthquake, adding to the chaos as the flames flickered up dangerously, encouraged by the roaring wind. It was like something out of a horror movie, the flickering lightbulbs swinging across the ceiling before shattering at Ariana's feet, the sound barely audible over the thunderous storm raging war with the earthquake below. It was all too much, too loud, too terrifying, as Ariana stood still, her body trembling as she struggled to regain control but it was no use.

Ariana looked around helplessly, searching for any sign of Liam, but she let out a choked sob as she spotted several people staring at her in fear. It took her a second but then the realisation sunk in, thick and cold. The dust was falling all around Ariana, just missing her and leaving her standing in a perfect circle, untouched by the chaos she was causing.

She was the centre of the storm, the creator standing alone in her destruction.

Ariana clenched her fists tightly, pulse racing as her gaze flickered around the charred and crumbled remains of the hospital, her gaze coming to rest on a figure standing across from her, their form slightly disfigured by the smoke and dust flying in the air. It appeared to be a female though, judging by the long hair framing their shadowed face. Ariana opened her mouth to cry out, but she was startled by a voice coming from behind her instead.

"Ari! Ari? Are you okay?"

Ariana jumped, her eyes wide and horrified as she focused in on Liam. He was standing in front of her, in the middle of a perfectly in-tact hospital hallway.

No crumbled building.

No trembling earthquake.

No shattered lights.

The nurses were rushing past, completely unharmed and unaware of Ariana. She was tremor-free. Everything was fine.

The sudden shift to reality was so jarring that all Ariana could do was stare at Liam, numb and confused.

"Ari?" Liam pressed again, his voice more urgent now as he reached out to gingerly brush his hand against her arm. "Ari, come on. What's wrong?" His touch comforted Ariana, stilling her racing heart as she focused in on him, shaking off the terrifying vision she'd just experienced.

"Sorry…I just…I thought I…Just my imagination I guess…" Ariana trailed off, frowning as she let her heart rate return to a slower pace, flexing her fists uncertainly.

It had felt so real, too real, but she'd clearly imagined the entire incident. Maybe it was the full moon, messing with her own mind. Still, she couldn't shake the image of the shadowed figure watching her from afar. Something about it had been so incredibly haunting and ominous, like someone had been waiting for her to destroy her surroundings. But it had just been her imagination running wild, surely.

Liam was already moving on though, squeezing her arm once in comfort as he quickly switched topics, his mind clearly somewhere else. "Okay good, because we need to go."

"Go? Why?" Ariana asked, frowning as she wrapped her arms around her body tightly, still slightly on edge.

"I just heard Scott's mum talking to the Sheriff and Deputy Parrish and Parrish said Scott is danger. Someone is coming for him and we need to go find him now."

Ariana inhaled slowly, bringing one hand up to pinch her nose as she processed this. "Okay I don't-"

"Yes, you predicted this and yes you were right," Liam interrupted, throwing her a teasing grin although the worry didn't quite leave his eyes. "Now we can we go?"

Ariana shook her head though, a sense of unease still weighing down on her chest. "Liam, I don't think I should come. Something doesn't feel right…" She trailed off, her eyes drifting down the hall to where she'd imagined the shadowed figure only moments ago.

Liam was barely paying attention though. "Yeah, something isn't right. Scott needs our help!" he insisted, already edging away.

"I just…I think we should wait until we hear from him. He said to stay put," Ariana pleaded helplessly, her hands waving restlessly by her sides as she glanced around the corridor for anything that would help her case without revealing what was really wrong.

"Ari, we don't have time for that. We need to go now." Liam said urgently, reaching out to grab Ariana's hand.

She pulled back though just as Liam's fingers brushed hers, letting out a sharp gasp as a zap of electricity shot through her fingers. Liam jumped slightly, his eyes darting down to her hands with a frown.

"Come on, just breathe and let's go," he said after a beat, seemingly unfazed by Ariana's burst of power as he pushed past her and headed around the corner, only throwing a brief gaze back at her to make sure she would follow him before he disappeared.

Ariana stared after him for a moment, flexing her fingers gingerly. She wasn't sure what had triggered that electricity, the tiny hint of lightening slipping through her fingertips. All she knew was that the moment that Liam had disregarded her comment, she'd felt a rush of _something_ , a burst of energy bubbling under her skin, something that wanted to be released, to attack. To harm. It was almost as if she'd been replaced by something else for a moment, something she had no control over. Just like the vision she'd experiences only minutes ago.

Heaving a deep breath, Ariana pushed her fears out of her mind. Liam was right, they needed to get to Scott as soon as possible. She was probably just tired and on edge. That was all. Shaking her hands to get rid of the uncomfortable tension, Ariana hurried after Liam, ignoring the lingering uncertainty.

* * *

By the time Liam skidded his stepdad's car, temporarily borrowed without permission, towards the underpass, Ariana could barely see through the sheets of thick rain pouring down. The storm was only growing and it was a miracle that Liam had even been able to catch Scott's scent.

"You stay here! I'll get the others!" Liam yelled over the rain as they both climbed out of the car. He slammed the door to the driver's side before rushing over to Ariana's side to help her out of the car. They both paused as they looked across to where Scott was fighting off an unknown creature, claws and teeth all flying as they battled. It was a brutal fight,

"What am I supposed to do?" Ariana yelled back as she slid out of the car, letting Liam's hands brush against her hips as he helped her out.

Liam shrugged as he glanced back to Scott, frowning as his eyes tried to follow the fight. "I don't know! Just keep him alive until I can get the others!" He leaned forward to press an urgent kiss on her lips, one hand tightening slightly on her hip for a moment before he took off again, running off into the stormy night, his wolf abilities letting him disappear into the dark before Ariana could say anything else.

"Keep him alive," Ariana repeated to herself as she turned back to look at Scott, well aware of the irony of the situation now. She'd come a long way from plotting Scott's death and now here she was attempting to make sure he survived the night. The odd instinct to cause harm still flared up once in a while, usually triggered by a memory of Violet, but Ariana pushed those thoughts aside as she ran over to where Kira was lying in a half crumbled heap on the ground. Scott was still locked in a fierce and savage battle with the new creature, unaware of Ariana's presence as he let out a frustrated roar before letting his claws fly through the air again.

"What happened?" Ariana yelled out to Kira as she skidded across the wet concrete to the older girl, her voice just carrying over the howling wind.

Kira pushed her dark hair out of her eyes as she allowed Ariana to help her stand up, one hand still clutching her sword. "Scott came to get me, which was kind of weird and awkward since we haven't really talked since we broke up-"

"Kira!" Ariana interrupted, eyes widening in mild irritation as she glanced pointedly back to the fight happening only a few feet away.

"Right. Sorry! Yes, so we stopped here when the rain got too heavy," Kira explained clumsily, her focus back on Scott as he battled the creature. "But then that _thing_ just showed up out of no where. And he's too strong!"

Ariana let out a puff of air as she straightened up. "Liam is getting the others. We just need to keep Scott alive," she repeated Liam's instructions, nodding sharply as she flexed her fingers.

"Right. Alive. Yes, we can do that," Kira responded, her tone sounding as uncertain as Ariana felt. But she seemed to be newly energised by Ariana's presence, adjusting her grip on her sword as she let out a yell before sprinting towards the creature, sword swinging smoothly as if it was a part of her body.

Ariana watched as Scott and Kira both battled the creature but it was useless. The creature was bigger and stronger than the two of them, easily knocking them both over and over again. Flexing her fingers again, Ariana closed her eyes, doing her best to focus. As terrifying as her vision at the hospital had been, she needed to forget the fear and channel the earth. She didn't have a great handle of her abilities yet, generally only channeling her powers accidentally, but surely a state of emergency would help trigger something within.

But then again, maybe not. Ariana clenched her fists, letting out a frustrated groan as she tried to feel anything. But it was as if the chaotic vision had sapped her energy, leaving her empty and numb, unable to feel even a hint of a tremor.

"Come on!" she urged herself, shaking her hands desperately. "Come on! Just work! Just give me something!" Her body refused to connect to the earth below though, leaving her utterly useless, tears prickling at her eyes at the realisation.

Ariana felt a desperate and frustrated shriek escape her lips as she shook her hands again, harder and harder as if the urgency in her movement would help. But she was stuck, unable to tap into her abilities and completely helpless to Scott. As she looked back to where Scott now lay vulnerable at the creature's feet, Ariana felt her heart tightening. She was about to let out a scream, anything to distract the creature, when another werewolf suddenly appeared out of the dark, letting out a loud snarl as he leaped towards the creature, attacking it from behind.

The creature was thrown off but only briefly, easily sending the new werewolf several feet away with a painful crunch. But it gave Scott the time he needed to stand. Ariana watched, feeling helpless but awed as she edged towards Kira, reaching out to pull the other girl to her feet again just as the creature plunged its claws deep into Scott's chest.

Ariana felt Kira stiffening up beside her, Kira's hand flying out to grip Ariana's arm in terror as she let out a horrified gasp. Ariana swallowed thickly, watching as the creature held Scott up, almost taunting him as Scott's feet swung in the air, the alpha choking desperately for air as his bright red eyes flickered, fading away slightly as he clung on for dear life.

But before Ariana could dig deep down for any hint of an earthquake, anything to help, Scott seemed to snap, reaching out to grip the creature's wrist, wrestling it's hand out of his chest as their long taloned nails snapped off and fell to the wet concrete as the creature fell to his knees in pain.

"I don't know who you are or what you thought you were going to do." Scott was calm as he addressed the creature now crouching at his feet. "But I'll give you a choice. You can stay, and I'll break something else. Or you can run." His voice was slow and slightly menacing, reminding Ariana that he was indeed an alpha, as frustrating as his methods were occasionally. He was in charge here.

"I'd run." Stiles' words were blunt as he appeared on the other side of the underpass, alongside Liam and Malia. They stood in a line, all staring the creature down although Liam's eyes flickered towards Ariana, eyeing her over quickly to make sure she was okay. Ariana offered back a quick hint of a smile, nodding off any of his concerns before he could frown. Hopefully he didn't sense the anxiety waving off her body right now, or if he did he would just attribute it to the attack that had just happened.

The creature didn't hesitate as Scott stared it down, letting out a defeated growl as it took off, running out into the storm, disappearing through the torrential rain and leaving the rest of the pack in a brief exhausted silence.

Finally they all turned to the new werewolf who was still standing a few feet away, his feet shifting uncertainly at the sudden attention. Now returned to his human form, Ariana had to admit the guy was attractive with his chiseled jaw and light brown hair all tousled from the fight. He was slightly shorter than Scott, but still seemed to tower over Ariana as he moved closer to the pack. His dark navy jacket was drenched from the storm and it clung to his frame as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

"You don't remember me, do you? I guess I look a little different since the fourth grade," he said finally as he looked up at Scott as he shrugged his shoulders.

Scott seemed to recognise him as a bit of light hit the guy's face and the alpha's eyes widened suddenly. "Theo?" he asked, a hint of a smile creeping up his crooked jaw.

"You know him?" Ariana asked, her eyes slightly distrustful as she took in the stance of the guy standing across from the pack. His entire posture was open, arms loosely by his side now as he watched them calmly, waiting.

"Used to. Trust me, I never thought I'd see you again," Theo said, addressing Scott although his eyes briefly flicked around the pack. "A couple of months ago I heard of an alpha in Beacon Hills. When I found out his name was Scott McCall…I couldn't believe it. Not just an alpha, but a true alpha."

Scott frowned, unmoving. "What do you want?"

"I'm back in Beacon Hills. Back home with my family, because I want to be a part of your pack." Theo declared, lifting his chin slightly as he stared back at Scott. "I heard all about you all. You've got quite a pack here. Wolves, coyotes, druids…" His eyes flickered briefly to Ariana before looking back at Scott but Ariana caught an odd glint in his eyes, like he knew more than he was letting on. Something about Theo was slightly off, although Ariana couldn't quite place it. It was like there was something else hiding behind his eyes, something darker that he was attempting to conceal. Could he see the same darkness in her?

A brief silence washed over the group as they all glanced across at Scott, waiting for his verdict. Ariana narrowed her eyes as she waited for Scott's reaction. He seemed to be deep in thought as he stared back across at Theo. Stiles was impatiently shuffling his feet while Malia hovered awkwardly beside him, the two of them terrible at coping suspense.

"Well we actually have somewhere to be right now, but we'll be in touch!" Stiles cut in finally when it was clear that Scott was a little lost for words. He was apparently unprepared for people handing in resumes for his pack, but then again he was the rare true alpha so it was not entirely unexpected that word would get around.

Theo glanced over at Stiles, his posture shifting slightly at Stiles's blunt words. It seemed like he was going to say something but thought better of it, dropping his head in a small nod of defeat instead. "Of course. I guess I'll see you guys at school!" Theo said instead, offering a friendly smile as he lifted one hand in a brief wave before running off, disappearing into the rain.

"Oh crap, I've still got my stepdad's car," Liam announced suddenly, his eyes widening in mild fear which was amazing considering the legitimately scary incident that had just occurred. "Ari, we need to get back to the hospital before he totally kills me. We'll see you guys tomorrow!" he said, almost tripping over his words as he moved forwards to grip Ariana's hand, tugging her back to where the car was still parked in the rain.

"Yeah we've already got one murderous creature on the loose. Let's not add Dr Geyer to the list," Stiles replied back with a raised eyebrow.

"You haven't seen him mad," Liam said over his shoulder, throwing Scott a helpless look. Scott let out a chuckle, nodding as he waved the two of them off, his focus still pulled over to where Theo had run off.

Ariana rolled her eyes as she let Liam pull her back along to the car, doing her best to focus on his prattling as she tried not to focus on the fact that her tremors had refused to surface the one time she actually needed them to.

Liam seemed too distracted by rushing to get the car back to his stepdad in time, barely noticing Ariana's subdued silence in the car, which was good because it gave her time to process the events of the night.

A small part of her wondered if it was connected to the vision she'd had earlier, if the terrifying vision had somehow sapped her energy, or if the fear of the vision had blocked her ability to channel the earth. Or maybe it was just a freak occurrence. Maybe it was all just a coincidence. Maybe she'd been focusing too hard. Maybe she hadn't been focusing enough. Maybe she just needed to talk to Deaton. Or maybe she just needed a good night's rest. Maybe everything would be fine in the morning.

Then again given how tonight had ended up, that seemed like wishful thinking.

* * *

 **A/N: Well this took a bit longer than anticipated but life got a bit hectic and my Ariana muse has been struggling, but here we are with more of Ariana's angsty shenanigans, creepy visions and all! I know we didn't get any Genevieve or Siobhan in this chapter but don't worry you will see more of them soon. In the mean time I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter! What did you love? What made you stressed? Reviews always help motivate me so any comments are much appreciated. Special thanks to** **cherylbombshells, WildRecklessYouthInMe, January Lily, Maddie Rose, Princessdarkness12 and YourpalMoony for your lovely reviews on the last chapter!** **Thanks for reading and following Ariana's journey and hopefully I'll have another update for you soon!**


	4. history

Ariana stood at the steps of the main building of Beacon Hills High on the first day back of school, her heart constricting slightly in her chest as she looked upwards, taking in the sight of the big Beacon Hills High sign, the small cracks running along the edges where the plaque met the deep red bricks, a reminder of how nothing could truly stay perfect forever. Time always passed and things changed, whether you wanted it to or not. She had told herself not to get emotional today, but it was harder than she'd expected. This was the first time she'd be walking into a new year of school without Violet and Garrett by her side.

The little trio of orphans had made a pact, always crossing the entrance on the first day back together. It was a little symbolic ritual, showing their strength as a little trio. They would stand there, hand in hand, promising to get through another year of school together. They would stare up at the building that held so many possibilities of a future unseen. They would stand there, promising to get through the hardships, the foster system struggles, the chaos that the world threw at them.

They had stood together, through it all.

But now Ariana stood alone, her arms wrapped around her small frame, feeling the absence of her friends more than ever. No more small shared moments with Garrett as they climbed off the school bus, his hands always ready to tug on her backpack when she got lost in the crowd of students. No more chances to watch Violet fighting with her locker, the lock combination always just out of her mind's reach. They were gone, and as much as Ariana had done her best to push the feeling of grief aside, it was particularly heavy in her heart today.

As the rest of the students stumbled past her, Ariana remained alone.

Before she could let the unshed tears spill over her cheeks though, she felt someone nudging her. Turning as she pulled her best fake smile on, Ariana let out a breath as she found Mason standing beside her, a soft expression in his eyes.

"Hey," he said simply, reaching a hand out to her. Ariana unclenched her hand out of the tense fist it had curled into, allowing Mason to grab onto it with a firm squeeze. The moment of gentle contact let the tension in Ariana's heart ease a little, letting out a shuddering breath.

"Hi," Ariana said back once her breath had steadied, a small smile slipping up her lips.

Mason studied her for a second, his eyes crinkling at the sides as he tilted his head slightly. "I figured you'd be here. First day back. You know what…I miss them too."

That couldn't be easy for Mason to admit. He'd spent so long feeling bitter over the lies, over the betrayal and the cruelty of The Orphans. Still, they'd all been friends and Ariana knew he missed their company almost as much as she did. He'd discovered Violet and Garrett's true professions in the aftermath of their deaths, although he was blissfully unaware of Ariana's involvement.

Ariana heaved in a breath, squeezing his hand back as she nodded. "Yeah…It sucks. I…I don't know. I keep thinking they'll magically appear again."

"Like it's just one of Garrett's dumb pranks?" Mason suggested, his mouth twisted to one side in a wry smile.

Ariana nodded again, her head bobbing up and down as she willed the tears to disappear before she made a scene in the middle of the school yard.

Mason squeezed her hand again, tugging her a little closer to him in comfort. "I know. As crazy it is…I mean I know they weren't really good people considering what they did. But still…They were our friends. So we'd better give this year hell for them then," he said softly.

Not trusting herself to speak without bursting into tears, Ariana tugged back on Mason's hand, offering a grateful smile as she let him lead her into the main corridor, winding between the crowds of students as he created an easy path for her to follow.

Part of Ariana's heart still stung though, but it wasn't just the grief. It was the knowledge that Mason still believed Garrett and Violet had been evil, that their actions were barely forgivable. How would he ever react if he found out she'd been just as involved as them? That her hands were just as stained with blood as Garrett's? That her poison had caused as many, if not more deaths than Violet's necklace? Mason could never know, of course. Ariana knew that. But still, the guilt of hearing his words still stung, knowing the facade she had to maintain for him. Lying to Mason had been easy when she had Garrett and Violet to help her, to help feed the lies. She wasn't sure how long she could keep up the act with them gone.

But she didn't really have a choice. So instead, she pushed the truth down and let Mason lead her through the crowds, just as Violet used to, all while wondering just how much longer she could keep her worlds separate.

* * *

Genevieve had to admit, things would've been much easier if she went to Devenford right now. Bouncing out of Kathryn's jeep, she gave a quick wave to Lori, eyes swiftly avoiding Brett's gaze. Although it would mean going to school with Brett and seeing him everywhere, at least she wouldn't feel like she was being inconvenient, causing Kathryn to take a detour to Beacon Hills High on the way to drop the others to school. But at least this way she was only stuck in the car with Brett for ten minutes. Although that was still plenty of time for Lori to make several loud and painful comments about how nice the weather was outside as she attempted to make small talk between Genevieve and Brett while they both pointedly ignored each other.

"Just wait for one of us here after school, okay?" Kathryn called out, ignoring the awkward tension as if it hadn't existed for the entire car ride to school. "Don't go running off anywhere!"

Genevieve nodded as she swung the door shut, scrunching her nose up as she caught Kathryn's eye. "I'll be standing in this exact spot! I won't move!" she quipped lightly, just catching Brett's stifled snort in the back seat before he recomposed himself and resumed his stoic expression again.

"Well maybe move to your classroom but then come right back here," Kathryn shot back teasingly as she geared the car up again, flicking the indicator on before pulling back out onto the road, leaving Genevieve standing alone, watching as the car disappeared into the busy morning traffic.

Genevieve stood still for a moment, alone, before a rush of students jostled past her, moving her backwards towards the school's main building and away from the sight of Brett in the back of the jeep, his eyes lingering on her through the back window.

The walk through the hallways seemed long today as Genevieve made her way through all of the students, everyone shouting out in excitement as they were reunited with friends. Seniors pushed their way through the crowds, confidence and glee radiating off many of them at the thought of how close they were to the finish line, while a herd of freshmen moved slowly, eyes all wide in fear and anticipation of what was to come.

Genevieve spotted a few familiar faces as she navigated her way towards her locker, eyes lighting up as she caught sight of Corey and his boyfriend Lucas tucked against Corey's locker. She went to turn towards them, ready to be reunited with her closest friends, when she noticed the dark look in Lucas's expression. His brows were furrowed in irritation as he snapped at Corey who moved half a step away, stumbling into his locker before straightening up to argue back. Genevieve couldn't make out what they were fighting about but it seemed tense enough to avoid for now. Instead, she swerved back onto her familiar course, narrowly avoiding a pack of lacrosse boys rushing past her.

"Genny?"

Genevieve whirled her head around to the side, letting out a string of apologies to a older girl passing by who was met with a mouthful of her red hair. By the time Genevieve had recovered, she looked up to see Ariana at her open locker biting back a smirk. "Remind me to chop off my hair soon," Genevieve remarked with a huff as she scooted across to lean against the locker beside Ariana, reaching around to tug her hair into a messy ponytail.

"Hi to you too," Ariana said in response, rolling her eyes as she resumed unpacking her backpack, swiftly slotting her textbooks and notebooks into their assigned spots in her locker. Ariana's locker was so organised that it made Genevieve's look like the aftermath of one of Ariana's earthquakes, loose papers and pencils always tumbling out unexpectedly. "So you survived this morning?"

Genevieve frowned as she folded her arms across her chest. "The full moon ended last night," she said slowly, cocking her head to one side in confusion as she stared back at Ariana.

Ariana let out a little huff, shaking her head. "No, I mean the car ride, duh. You survived first ride to school with Brett? Without a panic attack or wolfing out on each other?"

"Oh." Genevieve inhaled slowly, her arms tightening their grip around her body. "Um, yeah. It was fine. I mean it's awkward but we're fine. Well I'm not super fine but we're not trying to kill each other." Her eyes widened for a moment at the realisation of what she'd just said. "I mean, um…"

"At least you're not Liam and I," Ariana clarified with a giggle. "I get it." At least Ariana seemed to have a bit of a sense of humour about her situation with her boyfriend although Genevieve was still getting her head around it. Liam and Ariana seemed steady for now, but they'd had a rocky start, both trying to murder each other at least once. Genevieve and Brett had also had a rocky start but at least their relationship foundations hadn't involved assassination attempts, she supposed.

"I just mean it's fine for now. And I'll get over it," Genevieve said after a moment, delicately avoiding speaking the real truth, that getting over _him_ was another issue entirely.

"I still don't even get why you broke up in the first place," Ariana mused as she continued to sort through her books in her locker, rifling through until she pulled out her History textbook with a tiny whoop of relief.

Genevieve shrugged, her shoulders tensing up near her ears for a moment longer than necessary. "It just wasn't working out. It's like he just wanted some girl to save and protect and I wanted more than that. I didn't want to be some broken girl for him to fix."

Ariana nodded slowly. "But did he say that? Or did you assume and end it without letting him fully explain himself?"

Genevieve pursed her lips in thought as she reluctantly let her mind wander back to their last argument. "I mean we talked about it…kind of. I guess it was more shouting, actually," she amended, trying not to let her mind relive their final argument.

"Right. Well all I'm saying is that based on your friendship with me and knowing your track record, maybe it's worth checking in and hearing his perspective. I can tell you miss being with him," Ariana said wisely, although Genevieve had no idea when her closest friend had become such a relationship expert. Ariana's relationship with Liam may have been stable now but Genevieve was sure she'd witness an argument by the end of the week. Still, it was possible that she had a point, as much as it pained Genevieve to admit it.

"Hm," was all Genevieve said back, brow slightly furrowed as she followed Ariana towards their history classroom, heading straight to her usual seat near the middle, just as she had done every day in freshman year, leaving Ariana to head to her own usual spot near Liam before Ariana could throw in another piece of advice.

* * *

Ariana pursed her lips in amusement as she watched Genevieve hurry to her seat, so eager to avoid the topic of Brett that she nearly collided with another student, Ursula Donati, swerving out of the way at the last minute before Ursula could make a snide remark. Thank goodness for Genevieve's quick wolf reflexes because Ariana definitely didn't feel up to handling the wrath of Ursula this early in the morning.

As Ariana moved into the classroom, she came to a sharp halt at her usual desk, frowning as she took in the girl already sitting in her seat, long dark hair hanging down across the her face. Beside her, Liam was staring straight ahead with an odd expression on his face, a mixture of irritation and concern on his face while Mason sniggered on his other side.

"Um…" Ariana finally managed to get out, hugging her books a little tighter to her chest as she stared.

Liam's head snapped up at her voice, his eyes widening a little as he glanced between her and the dark haired girl sitting in Ariana's seat. "Ari! Uh…Um…" Liam stammered, his eyes dropping back to the other girl. Something about the way he was looking at the girl made Ariana's stomach coil slightly. It wasn't the same way he looked at Ariana, but it was something. There was a different sense of familiarity. History. Well that was ironic given their current class.

"What do you want now?" The girl was glaring at Liam now, hostility clear in her tone. Feeling Ariana's presence, the girl glanced upwards, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What?"

"Nothing…You're just in my seat," Ariana said back, raising an eyebrow as she nodded to the seat the girl was currently occupying.

"What, is there assigned seating here or something?" The girl asked, raising a snarky eyebrow up at Ariana. There was a vague sense of tension building now as the two girls stared at each other, both unwilling to budge.

"Yes actually," Ariana retorted. "I assigned myself this seat last year so you need to move. And who are you?"

"This is Hayden," Liam interrupted, his eyes crinkling slightly. "Um, we went to Devonford together," he added hastily as an explanation. Ariana narrowed her eyes slightly at Liam, doubt sinking into her body a little as she took in the way his eyes lingered on the new girl. There was something odd about Liam's expression, a sense of shared history sitting between him and the new girl that made Ariana feel like she was out of place suddenly. Like she didn't belong as she hovered awkwardly between the two of them.

"Alright class, let's get started, Miss Petrakis, take a seat please."

Ariana's head shot up to where Mr Yukimura was giving her a firm look from the front of the classroom, interrupting the insecure thoughts suddenly whirling around her mind. Letting out a small huff, Ariana marched towards the last spare seat a few rows behind Liam, ignoring the uncertain crease in Mason's eyebrow right now as he glanced back at her. Liam seemed to be totally focused on Hayden though, leaning sideways to whisper something to her. Hayden seemed unimpressed, only throwing him a glare before giving Mr Yukimura her full attention.

But as Ariana sunk into her seat, eyes still flickering between Liam and Hayden, she couldn't help the feeling of unease settling in. As she got herself settled, notebook out and stationary carefully placed on the desk, Ariana couldn't help the unconscious twitch, her hand flicking out in a small gesture before she could catch herself. It was small, but it was enough to send a small gust of wind across the room, pushing Hayden's pens to the ground as the classroom door slammed shut with a bang.

Ariana tensed, letting a small exhale slip from her lips as she glanced around the room. No one else seemed particularly disturbed apart from Hayden who cursed as she bent down to collect her stationary from the floor. Liam was watching her, his brow furrowed slightly but he seemed too lost in thought to connect the event to Ariana. Apparently not even her powers could distract him from Hayden, a fact that irritated Ariana more than she wanted to admit.

Towards the front of the room, Genevieve was glancing back at Ariana, concern flickering over her face. They locked eyes for a moment, Genevieve raising a brow in question before Ariana quickly shook her head back, brushing off the incident before her own mind could start digging into what had just happened. She hadn't even intended to create that small gust of wind. It was just as if another part of her mind had broken through for a brief moment, taking control while she was stuck, helpless.

The rest of the class seemed to drag on as Ariana spent the entire period alternating between glaring at the new girl and Liam. Hayden seemed to be ignoring Liam for the most part, keeping her head down as she hurried to copy down all of Mr Yukimura's illegible writing off the board, but it wasn't Hayden that Ariana was worried about. It was Liam and the way his gaze kept getting pulled back to Hayden, no matter how pointedly Hayden seemed to be brushing him off.

Ariana tried to catch Liam after class but something seemed to have him shaken and he bolted from the classroom almost the second the bell began to ring, barely looking back at her. He didn't even bother to wait for her to walk out together like they usually did.

"Right…" Ariana huffed, hovering at Liam's seat as she clutched her books a little tighter to her chest, her eyes following Hayden as the new girl marched out of the room only a moment after, her expression stormy.

"Hey, you okay?" Genevieve asked softly as she sidled up beside Ariana a, giving her a mild fright as she appeared. "Just breathe, yeah?"

Ariana pursed her lips, letting Genevieve lead her out the door and down the hallway. "I'm fine," she said simply.

Genevieve gave a small hum of disagreement as they walked, hugging her books to her chest. "If you say so," was all she said, kind enough not to push the issue.

Ariana had to admit, as unsettled as she felt right now, she was relieved to have Genevieve on her side after so many years of distance between them. Some would say they'd repaired friendship awfully quickly but Ariana maintained that after what had gone down in Mexico, discovering just how connected they were, it was impossible not to be close again.

"So did you get any closer last night?" Genevieve asked as she walked beside Ariana, nudging her shoulder gently. "To finding Siobhan, I mean," she clarified when Ariana frowned back at her.

"Nope," Ariana huffed, scrunching up her nose as she let her mind wander back to the night before, deliberately avoiding the memory of her disturbing hospital hallucination. "I read a few things about dark druids which might relate to the Donas but nothing new. Nothing helpful." Her frustration rang clear in her tone as she pursed her lips. "I just feel like I'm missing something. Or overlooking something. And Siobhan has literally vanished apparently."

Genevieve was quiet for a moment, gathering her thoughts for a moment. She hesitated before finally opening her mouth, clearly already anticipating Ariana's answer but pushing forward anyway. "Maybe…Maybe we should ask Lucas if he knows-"

"I'm not asking Lucas," Ariana cut her off swiftly. "First of all I haven't heard from him since Mexico and secondly I don't want to hear from him."

Genevieve let out a small sigh, nodding. "I know. I'm mad too. But I still have questions and I know you do too. And he did say he was trying to help us. Maybe he helped Siobhan disappear?"

It was a possible explanation and Ariana knew it was worth looking into, but she couldn't help the cloud of betrayal fogging up her vision again as she thought back to the last time she'd seen Lucas. Seeing him in the rubble of her earthquake, knowing how much he'd hidden from them, knowing how many secrets he'd kept and the chaos it had caused them all. It was too much for her to bear just yet.

"Plus, he's a druid," Genevieve added gently as the two of them came to a halt at her locker, "Maybe he can help you…with your control." She was tactful at least, even as she treaded on unstable ground.

"I have Deaton to help me already. And anyway, I have control," Ariana defended herself even though she could feel herself lying through her teeth right now. "But I told you, I'm fine." The gust of wind in class had been a one off, surely. Just like the hallucination at the hospital. She was fine. The darkness nudging at her veins was just stress, surely. Hopefully.

"Hey losers," a loud abrasive voice interrupted them and Ariana let out a slow hiss of breath as she turned on her toes to face Kennedy Carter, Siobhan's lackey and apparently the new Queen Bee in Siobhan's absence. She stood across from the girls, long blonde hair cascading across her shoulders as she readjusted the headband on her head, like a queen adjusting her crown.

"Kennedy, always so great to see you," Ariana said bluntly, pulling a false smile onto her lips as she tilted her head slightly, keeping her gaze steady on the older girl. "On the hunt for new blood to torture?"

"No, you'll do just fine," Kennedy smirked as she slowly sauntered towards the two of them, one eyebrow arched as she studied them almost like they were her prey. "Heard your boyfriend has eyes for someone else already and it's barely second period," she said slowly, her tone dripping with cruelty as she watched Ariana, waiting for any sign of weakness. "It must suck to realise you're never enough. First your parents didn't want you and now you can't even keep a boyfriend."

"Liam and I are fine actually. I don't know what you're talking about," Ariana said calmly, ignoring the tiny shiver running down her spine at Kennedy's spiteful words. Genevieve seemed to sense it though, moving to brush her shoulder lightly against her in an attempt to ground her. "I guess you shouldn't listen to everything your minions tell you," Ariana continued, making a mental note to have some words with Ursula Donati next time she ran into her. If she wanted to pass Chemistry with Ariana's notes again she was going to have to cut out the gossip.

Kennedy was unfazed, cocking her head to one side as she watched Ariana. "If that's what you believe, good for you. Your funeral," she said with another smirk, her eyes glistening with a hint of amusement as if she got some sick pleasure from digging into Ariana's wounds. Clearly bored with their interaction, she tossed her hair over her shoulder, pushing past Ariana and letting her shoulder knock Ariana back half a step, not bothering to look back as she disappeared around the corner.

"I hate her. So much." Ariana glared after Kennedy, clenching her fists.

Genevieve inhaled deeply, nodding her head furiously as she turned back to her locker to pull out her Chemistry books. "She's actually making me miss Siobhan. At least Siobhan was usually too busy ogling the lacrosse team to be a bitch to us," she said, a smile quirking itself up her lip.

"More motivation to find Siobhan then," Ariana mused as she turned back to face Genevieve, her eyes drifting down the corridor until she spotted the new girl, Hayden, standing at her locker amongst the swarm of students still roaming the halls. She seemed so normal, blending in with the other students as if she'd always been there, as if she'd always belonged.

Ariana couldn't help the tension in her body as she watched Hayden, Kennedy's words replaying in her mind again. The way Liam had looked at Hayden had thrown Ariana off more than she realised, the familiar way his eyes had gazed after the new girl. Something had changed in the air the moment Hayden arrived and Ariana wasn't entirely sure that it was a good change.

It had been hard enough accepting change earlier in the morning, walking across the school yard without The Orphans, realising that something had shifted in the air, but seeing Hayden's face just made it even clearer. Things were different now and Ariana suddenly had a bad feeling that it was only going to get worse.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello lovely readers I'm so sorry about the gap between updates! Life got a little too hectic and I needed to step back for a bit but my muse for Ari never really leaves me so here we are with another little chapter to keep you all going. I know we didn't get a lot of action in this chapter but trust me we're building up to some good drama ahead, and we got to meet a few newish faces! Please let me know any thoughts/feelings/theories you had while reading! Reviews really do help motivate me and I love hearing your thoughts! Thanks again for reading and I'll hopefully have another chapter up for you soon!**


	5. trust

By the time lunchtime rolled around, Ariana had come up with approximately twelve worst-case-scenarios regarding Hayden and Liam's weird dynamic, and ten conspiracies regarding Siobhan's continued absence. She had also completely forgotten to take any notes during English class.

She was halfway down the corridor towards her locker, the irritation only growing as she passed Liam's locker and noticed him mid-discussion with Hayden without even seeming to notice her. She moved past the two of them quickly, not even bothering to try and interrupt them. If Liam wanted to talk to Hayden he was more than welcome. Ariana wasn't going to stop him. She was just going to be silent and bitter about it instead.

Ariana was only a few feet away when she heard the slam of a locker door, followed by a voice calling out from behind her.

"Ariana?" Whipping her head around, Ariana held back a scowl as she spotted Hayden hurrying to catch up with her.

As Hayden caught up to her, she offered a tentative smile. "It's Ariana right?" she asked uncertainly.

Ariana nodded stiffly, hugging her books to her chest as she prepared for the worst. After the way her brain had spiralled out of control this morning, it seemed only right for Hayden to confront her. She was probably about to attack Ariana and claim Liam for herself, or maybe she was about to reveal that she'd been dating Liam this whole time already. The thought made Ariana feel oddly queasy, her body tensing as she waited for her heart to sink.

"So…Okay so I heard that apparently you're really smart and really good at Chemistry?" Hayden trailed off briefly, adjusting her books in her arms as she weaved around a crowd of junior boys taking up too much space in the corridor. "So I'm kind of terrified about starting a new school and Chemistry was my weakest subject back at Devenford so I was wondering if you could help me out?" She finished rambling, her eyes hopeful.

Ariana stared back, dumbfounded for a moment. That was far from what she had been expecting. "You want my help?" she asked, blinking as she struggled to throw off her assumptions of Hayden.

Hayden nodded quickly, dark brown hair bouncing across her shoulders. "Yeah, I mean I know this might be weird since you seem to know Liam and he's probably already said the worst about me-"

"Actually he hasn't mentioned you at all," Ariana interrupted, doing her best not to come across as too rude as she offered up a shrug. Judging by the way she'd seen them talking just moments ago, there was clearly something going on between them but at least Hayden didn't seem to be staking her claim just yet.

Hayden let out a breath of air, nodding her head awkwardly. "I mean that's probably for the best," she said, pursing her lips. "But can you help me at all? I really don't want to be that dumb new girl."

Ariana inhaled slowly, her eyes flickering up the hallway to Liam at his locker with Mason, the two of them having their own hushed conversation. She'd been overreacting in her fears about Hayden apparently, although she couldn't shake the vision of Liam's longing gaze towards Hayden. But that was an issue with Liam, not the girl standing in front of her, waiting hopefully.

"Sure," Ariana said finally. "I'll bring a copy of my notes for you tomorrow. Just don't tell anyone because my notes are already in high demand," she remarked as she reached into her locker to reorganise a few misplaced textbooks. It was true, she'd already had Liam and Mason asking for help before classes had even begun, and she knew Genevieve would add herself to the list the moment she got overwhelmed. At least this was a nice distraction from everything else on Ariana's mind.

Hayden seemed pleased, flashing an appreciative grin towards Ariana. "Great! You're a lifesaver," she said, her eyes shining with relief. Waving a friendly hand goodbye, she hurried off around the corner.

Ariana let out a sigh as she watched Hayden leave, still uncertain about how she felt about Hayden. Part of her wanted to trust Hayden and her innocent intentions, but the other half of her couldn't help feeling suspicious.

Turning back to her locker, Ariana pushed her notebooks back into place, just sorting for the sake of sorting now. She knew she was missing some of lunch and she'd probably miss out on a good portion of whatever goop was being served, but her mind was a million miles away.

"Hey," Liam's voice interrupted her as he appeared on the other side of her locker, a lopsided smile on his lips and a soft expression in his eyes. "You good?" he asked.

Ariana pushed away her negative thoughts as she glanced up at him, nodding hurriedly. She knew she probably still looked pale from last night despite her attempts to make herself as if she hadn't experienced a bunch of weird hallucinations. "Yep, just tired," she said, leaning up to press a quick kiss onto Liam's lips. He leaned into the kiss, one hand drifting to her waist to tug her closer for a moment before he pulled away again.

There was something brewing in Liam's eyes now that she could see him up close, underneath the worry for her. "You okay?" Ariana asked, nudging his shoulder gently as she turned back to her locker. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…Mason…Well he's is starting to ask questions," Liam said as he leaned against the locker beside her with a sigh. "Berserker questions. Like he's starting to suspect something." He was staring at his locker intently, the crease in his forehead showing his frustration.

Ariana frowned, closing her locker slowly. She knew Mason had encountered a Berserker with Lydia while they'd been in Mexico but she'd been hoping he'd attributed it to weird nightmares or his own hallucinations. Or at least he'd be smart enough not to question it. Unfortunately it seemed he was just too smart to do any of those options. "Did you tell him anything?" she asked Liam cautiously.

"No!" Liam quickly shook his head, clearly noticing Ariana's apprehension. "But…But I feel like we should."

"Absolutely not." Ariana said bluntly, shaking her head back and forth several times. She had probably cut him off too quickly but the idea of Mason learning the truth was too scary to even comprehend.

Liam was unmoved though. "I hate lying to him, Ari," he said, turning his pleading big blue eyes towards her.

"We're not lying. We're protecting him." Ariana pulled on a convincing smile right back at him, refusing to let his big eyes get to her like they always did.

"He already suspects something. He's going to figure out the truth eventually and then he'll work out that we're involved," Liam pushed as the two of them began walking down the hall. "If he knows we were lying this whole time…I can't do that to my friend. You remember how much it nearly messed us up," he said pointedly.

Ariana stared at Liam, her mouth slightly agape as she struggled to argue back. "That was completely different, Liam. We were literally on opposing sides. And we were both already involved in this world. We can't just drag Mason into this mess because you feel a bit guilty. That's not how it works."

"But still-" Liam protested.

"Look, I just can't. I can't involve him," Ariana insisted. "He'll end up in danger and it will be our fault. I don't need that on my conscience." She shook her head as she bit her lip anxiously, hating the tension already sinking into her body.

Liam's eyes narrowed at her brutal words. "He's our friend, Ari. Not just some random stranger. I know you've been lying to him longer but…"

"Exactly," Ariana's voice was hushed as a few junior students hurried past them. "Violet…Garrett…we were all lying to him and when he found out the truth…the partial truth I mean, he was furious at them. If he knew how deep the lies were…If he found out I've been lying to him all this time…I don't know if I'd survive that."

Liam shook his head. "You're underestimating how much he cares about you," he said softly. He was insistent, his eyes wide and pleading as he stared at her.

Ariana inhaled slowly, clenching her eyes shut for a moment. "Fine, Liam," she said after a beat, opening her eyes to stare back at him, her jaw tense with frustration. "Tell him what you want about yourself, but my secrets are mine to tell. When I'm ready."

Not bothering to wait for a response, Ariana turned around the corner and entered the cafeteria, leaving Liam to huff behind her. She knew she was being a little irrational and she knew the secrets wouldn't last forever, but she couldn't let go just yet.

* * *

Genevieve stood by the bleachers, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she watched the other students rushing back and forth across the field, soccer balls bouncing back and forth as the girls and boys teams practiced together in their lunch break. The new girl - Hayley? Hayden? - was in the midst of the chaos, easily weaving in and out between other players. She was quick and it was almost a little mesmerising as Genevieve watched her move. And the fact that she was pretty wasn't relevant at all, but it didn't hurt to notice.

It was almost a distraction. It was almost enough to take her mind off the endless thoughts racing through her brain. Enough to stop the memories of Brett, and enough to stop the questions about her parents and her family. Enough to stop her from worrying about what had happened to Siobhan and what that meant for everyone else.

And it was almost enough to distract her from that nagging feeling that she was being watched again. It was the same odd sensation that she'd felt the night before, that feeling that someone was nearby, watching her. Studying her. It was an odd itch in the back of her brain, her body stuck on high alert as she waited for the danger to reveal itself.

"Genny! You alright?" Corey's voice broke her out of her thoughts and Genevieve turned around quickly, her long hair tossing itself across her shoulder as she plastered a beam across her face.

"Corey, hey! Where's Lukas? I saw you guys arguing this morning," she said, looping her arm through Corey's easily as they moved towards the stands to sit down.

Corey bumped against her lightly as he sighed, shaking his head. "I don't even know. He said he needed some space today. He's just stressed I guess. Family stuff, or something. He's not really saying much." He shrugged, a hopeless look in his eyes.

"That's Luke though," Genevieve reminded Corey, her eyebrows raising up on their own accord. Lukas was never one to open up, even to his own boyfriend although Genevieve had to admit the aggression she'd seen slip out earlier seemed unlike him. "Maybe he's just worried about being back at school but I'm sure he'll be fine. And in the meantime you can take your mind off out here." She indicated to the soccer team on the field, half of the boys whom were no longer wearing their shirts as they ran around in the hot sun.

Corey let out a snort as he sat down on an empty part of the stands, patting the seat beside him for Genevieve to join him. She did happily, folding her hands in her lap as she watched the ball flying across the field, picked up by the new girl yet again.

"So what's on your mind? Any word from your man?" Corey asked, waggling his eyebrows playfully. "Brett? That's his name, yeah? You barely mentioned him all summer whenever we talked."

Genevieve's brow furrowed slightly as she felt her chest constricting slightly. Not even the shirtless players on the field could distract her from Brett for long apparently. "Um, no. We're not really…well we broke up actually," she admitted quietly.

"Damn, that was quick. What happened though?" Corey asked, nudging her gently.

Genevieve pursed her lips. That was an excellent question and it was almost impossible to explain to Corey. What could she say? That Brett had been too protective just because she was a new werewolf? That she just wanted him to like her for who she was without trying to fix her and help her all the time? It barely made sense to her. "It just wasn't working," she said finally with a shrug.

Corey nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly. He could clearly tell she was holding something back but he had enough tact not too press it. "Hang on, didn't you tell me he's part of your new foster home? Isn't that awkward?" he asked, sitting up slightly.

Genevieve nodded silently, wrinkling her nose as she watched Corey huff out a breath. "Yep." She let the 'p' pop, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as she stared out at the soccer players, barely seeing them. "It kind of sucks actually." That was an understatement. And having Lori constantly making remarks didn't help, as much as Genevieve knew she was just trying to relieve the tension between her friend and her brother.

"Yikes. Well at lease you have hot soccer players to distract you for now. And you've always got me." Corey slung an arm over Genevieve's petite shoulder, giving her an affectionate squeeze. She learned into the hug with a small sigh, her eyes wandering back to the new girl as she weaved through the boys with the soccer ball. Corey was right though. Even if she didn't have Brett right now, she had plenty of other distractions.

* * *

"You're looking a little pale," Deaton remarked, tactful as ever, as Ariana marched into the Veterinary Clinic after school.

Ariana rolled her eyes as she let the door swing shut on its own, slipping around the counter. She knew she looked pale of course. She'd been struggling to regain her normal colour ever since her dark hallucination at the hospital. Luckily she'd been able to blame it on a lack of sleep if anyone asked, but a glance at Deaton told her that her excuses wouldn't fly well around him.

"Scott said you were a bit shaken up last night," Deaton continued as he followed Ariana into the back room of the clinic, his voice full of concern with only the tiniest hint of judgement.

"Yep. They say a mysterious creature attack will do that," Ariana said over her shoulder as she wandered over to the pile of books she'd been collecting on one of the lower shelves. Deaton was slowly bringing in books from his own collection that he thought she could learn from and over the last few months she'd certainly done a lot of reading even if she didn't feel like she was really learning a lot.

Deaton closed the door quietly, turning to watch Ariana for a moment, studying her. "Did anything happen?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned to look back at him.

"What do you mean?" Ariana asked stubbornly.

"I mean, did anything unusual happen? Did you feel anything different?" he asked as he walked across to his table to where he had a set of tools set up along with a claw that looked vaguely ominous. It was probably the claw that Scott had taken from the creature, whatever it was. It hadn't been a werewolf or werecoyote and Ariana hadn't done enough research to know many other creatures that matched it's description.

"I mean we were all attacked by a weird creature. That was not a usual evening, but then again it feels like it's becoming more regular," Ariana said wryly as she pulled the Druidology book she'd borrowed out of her backpack. "But I got some good reading done," she added, waving the book up to reveal all the post-it tabs she'd added while taking notes over the last few nights.

Deaton's eyes had narrowed slightly as he studied her again, his face otherwise neutral. "You didn't tell the others, but something happened. What was it?" He pressed calmly.

Damn him for reading her so well. It had to be some kind of Druid ability she hadn't picked up on yet. Or maybe she was too tired right now to hide the tension she'd been holding onto all night.

Dropping the book down onto the pile on the floor, Ariana let out a sigh. "I don't know. I honestly don't know how to explain it. But…something happened at the hospital," she said slowly. "I had a weird vision? I guess? I saw myself losing control…But it wasn't real," she finished quickly, not wanting to get into the details of the chaos she's seen herself create.

Deaton was quiet as he turned back to the claw on the table, turning it over carefully with a pronged tool. "A vision…Interesting. Any changes in your abilities afterwards? Or did anything new occur beforehand?" he asked as he worked on the claw, examining it.

Ariana shook her head with a sigh as she ran over the events of the previous night in her mind. "Nope. I mean I couldn't help Scott but I don't have full control over my powers yet. Which you already knew. Which is why you said you'd help me," she said, her voice a little more forceful as she folded her arms across her chest. It had been months since Deaton promises proper training and the books were wonderful but they weren't giving her any real progress.

"You're new to all of this, Ariana. Druid abilities are not something to be rushed. There is more to it all than just manipulating the ground below you," Deaton reminded her. "You need a deep understanding of how it all works. Of how you are connected to the earth around you, and how we keep the balance."

Tipping her head back, Ariana leaned against the bricked wall and did her best to resist rolling her eyes. "I know. I've been reading all summer. I missed half my summer break because I was reading about my Druid duties. But I'm no closer to controlling my powers. Not properly. Not when I need them."

"You sound like you think you'll be needing them soon." Deaton barely looked up from the claw, his tone irritatingly amused as if he had no comprehension of the danger they were constantly in.

"It's Beacon Hills. And I think we proved that last night. That creature, whatever it was, it wasn't the last thing to come for us. Especially if you're right about the Donas," Ariana reminded him. "I want to be ready for her."

"You're not going to take down a Donas, Ariana," Deaton warned, looking up. His dark eyes were serious as they bore into her own. "The best you can do for now is stay low and hope that she's enjoying her powers elsewhere."

"You're forgetting that she murdered my parents," Ariana shot back, her eyes flashing as her temper began to rise. She hadn't come here to be lectured and told to sit down and shut up. She'd come to meet Deaton to help herself grow stronger, something he seemed rudely against. "She murdered them at the Nemeton, a place that you keep telling me is sacred to druids but you refuse to take me to, might I add," she said, bitterness seeping into her tone as her hands twitched by her sides.

"I'll take you to the Nemeton when you are ready," Deaton interrupted her tantrum swiftly. "As I have told you before. Now, I added a book on the Nine Herbs to your pile," he said, nodding to the pile beside Ariana before she could argue back. "Very handy for curing supernatural poisons. I thought you'd find it interesting."

Ariana gazed down at the book, her trembling hands coming to a slow stop as she breathed in, trying to force the anger down to a dull simmer under her skin. She knew what he was doing, denying her one thing but offering up something else as a distraction. The Nine Herbs sounded interesting of course, but it wasn't what she'd come to collect. Still, Deaton seemed as if he'd dismissed her argument for now, his eyes focusing back on the odd claw.

"I think I'll do my readings at home today," Ariana declared after a moment, throwing the books in her bag with a little too much force as the anger flared up again unexpectedly. "And maybe soon you can tell me what exactly I need to do to be "ready". Preferably before I accidentally take down half of the county again. But it's your call," she said over her shoulder as she marched out of the doors and out of the clinic.

Deaton called out a half-exasperated good-bye behind her but Ariana was too busy focusing on the bubbling frustration inside her as she walked out. She knew he was trying to help, but it was starting to feel like she was on her own with her unknown abilities.

She just had to hope Deaton would help her before it was too late.

* * *

The walls were brighter than usual today. The white fluorescent lightbulbs flickering down the hallway seemed to create a painfully sharp echo of light, uncomfortable and harsh on the eyes.

Or maybe it was just her eyes. Maybe Siobhan's eyes were playing tricks on her. It would make sense. Or maybe it didn't make sense. Her brain was too muddled to fully comprehend reality these days.

All she knew was the voices. The screams.

The screams, never ending, always there in the back of her mind. They were so loud. They screamed for what seemed like an eternity, getting louder by the minute. The only quiet she seemed to have anymore was when the doctor injected the mysterious substance into her neck, letting her slip into a brief moment of unconsciousness, her brain coming to a dull whisper of thoughts before she woke up again and repeated the cycle once more.

"Siobhan Brady." The male's voice was sharp, too sharp and too blunt. It didn't quite match his pretty face as Siobhan dragged her eyes up to stare at him. He looked like he was carved from marble, his chiseled jaw clenched slightly as he gazed around the small cell she'd spent so many months in.

"So loud," Siobhan whispered back as she huddled beside the plain stiff bed, leaning forward slightly to lock eyes with the figure across the glass. Was he real? She'd probably created him in her mind. Maybe he was the one who had been screaming. He'd screamed so much she'd created an image of him. A new friend. An old friend. Yes, he was slightly familiar. Something about his eyes triggered a faint memory of childhood in Siobhan's brain.

"I know you," she said quietly, her voice dark and dull as she brought a hand up to rub her collarbone and the edges of her throat, trying to soothe the ache that seemed so constant now. "You screamed…I heard…No not you…"

"No, but I know what you are."

"I hear them," Siobhan whispered back. "Why do I hear them?" Her tone was pleading, more than she'd intended but she couldn't help it. Something about the boy in front of her told her that he held the answers.

"It's going to be okay, Siobhan. I can help you. But only if you help me too," the boy said calmly as he moved slightly closer to the glass, his face almost pressed up against it as he stared intently at her. "You can trust me, okay?"

Siobhan stared back at the boy, frowning as she tried to focus on his face. "How do I know you?"

"Think, Siobhan. Think back…" The boy nodded slightly, encouragement in his eyes.

"I knew you. Th-Tha…Theo." The familiar name finally fell from Siobhan's lips as her eyes widened slightly. "You asked me out every day for two months…" she trailed off, an amused smirk slipping up her lips at the memory of the small fourth grader following her around like a lovesick puppy. He'd been so persistent, determined to get what he wanted even when she'd shut him down. "So nice to me…Even when I was the worst…" Siobhan trailed off, frowning a little as she recalled her nasty replies, her harsh rejections. Part of her wondered if she should feel guilty. But the other louder part of her reminded Siobhan that she'd had her reasons for acting the way she did.

Theo nodded slowly as he watched her. "See? You can trust me. I want to help you, Siobhan."

Siobhan heaved in a deep breath, locking eyes with Theo as she slowly unfolded her legs from their tightly locked position on the floor, rising to a standing position. She was a little unsteady on her feet, the lack of substantial food over the last few months taking a heavy toll on her, but she managed to stumble to the glass, hands reaching out to line up with Theo's own hands on the other side. Her hands looked so dry and cracked next to his hands, all muscle and power.

"I trust you," she whispered, smiling slightly. It was a foolish concept, trusting someone right now, but she had no one else. No one else promising to help, to be kind. All she'd had lately was an endless stream of men in white coats staring at her like some kind of lab experiment. Or Lucas, condescending and mysterious. Theo looked at her like she was interesting, a puzzle he wanted to solve. Like he wanted to save her. Siobhan hated being the kind of girl who sat around waiting to be saved, but she didn't have a choice and certainly didn't have the energy to do otherwise these days.

"What do you need to me to do?" Siobhan asked after a moment, tilting her head slightly in curiosity.

Theo pressed his hands across the glass as if pushing hard enough would let him break through, his gaze intense and steady as he looked at her. "I need you to scream. I need to know who is screaming back."

Siobhan stared back at him, her head tilting ever so slightly to the right as she felt her breath quickening, a scream only moments away. How had he known? How had he known that there was a scream building inside her? It had been building inside her throat before Theo had even stepped up to the glass, but the urge to let it out was stronger than ever.

"I can't," she managed to choke out, shaking her head. "So loud…They're dying…All of them…So close…"

"It's okay, Siobhan. It's okay. Just trust me." His voice was smooth and reassuring as he held her gaze. "If you scream now I can help you. I can make it go away. I can protect you. All you have to do is scream."

Siobhan stared back at Theo as she took a slow step away from the glass, her chest heaving with anticipation as the scream built up inside her lungs, the voices pushing back against her temple, getting louder until she could barely concentrate on the boy in front of her. "So much pain…So young…" she mumbled, her eyes clenching shut for a moment as she heaved in a breath.

"Who? Who can you hear? Tell me their names, Siobhan," Theo pushed as he leaned closer against the glass.

"Tracy Stewart," Siobhan managed to choke out before tipping her head back as a shattering scream tore itself out of her throat, echoing around the small chamber, the cry of death spilling out of the dark haired banshee.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow it's been a while since this was updated my bad! I wanted to end 2018 with a lil update so I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Tensions are brewing and there's a lot more drama coming trust me. Please feel free to leave a review and let me know your thoughts/feelings/theories! Reviews always help motivate me to write more :) Thanks for sticking with Ariana and the girls and I can't wait to share more of their adventures with you all in 2019. Thanks for reading! xoxo**


	6. warning

It felt like it had been forever since Genevieve had stepped foot in the Beacon Hills Dance Studio, although in reality it had only been about a week or so. She'd missed a few classes for a while due to werewolf complications, but as soon as she'd settled into life with Satomi's pack, the older alpha had insisted that Genevieve do her best to maintain a normal and stable life, which included picking up her old hobbies again.

Not that ballet was a hobby for the small redhead. It was an escape. It was _freedom_. It was a chance to break out of her anxieties and out of the crazy supernatural world around her. It was a dance to turn up the music and move, letting her limbs take control in a way they rarely could these days.

Walking into the building with her ballet tote bag slung over her shoulder, Genevieve inhaled slowly, relishing in the crisp air-condition processed air, the fluorescent and mildly unflattering lighting. By some miracle the studio was nearly empty after school, with most classes not resuming until later in the week, giving students time to settle into their new school routines before throwing dance class stress back into the mix. But Genevieve needed this. She needed to dance before she lost her sanity, still slightly on edge from the previous night's full moon.

After slipping into her usual black leggings and an old worn t-shirt, once bright yellow now heavily faded, Genevieve made her way into an empty studio, one of her old classical CDs clutched in her hand, ready to pop it into the battered old boombox sitting in the corner. This was one of the first and only CDs she'd ever owned, a gift from Lucas when he first heard she was taking dance classes. He hadn't even technically been her foster brother anymore, already several foster homes apart by then, but he'd been careful to keep in touch. He'd always done what he could for her.

The memory tugged at something inside as Genevieve looked down at the CD with a frown. She knew Ariana was still furious with Lucas for hiding such a huge secret, and Genevieve was definitely hurt too. She'd felt the cutting sting of betrayal as well, and she was happy to hold a grudge too, after all she was an expert there, but she knew Lucas. He wasn't all bad. He couldn't be. He had to have his reasons for his secrets. If anything, after reconnecting with Ariana, Genevieve knew that she couldn't take his actions at face value. For all she knew, he had a perfectly good reason to hide his secrets. She just wished he'd reach out again, even just to her. But he seemed to assume she was in the same boat as Ariana, so he'd kept distance from the two of them.

Sighing, Genevieve clicked play on the boombox, turning up the classical piano melody until it was loud enough to drown out her thoughts. Genevieve's eyes drifted closed as she danced easily around the small studio, her feet moving her without a second thought. It was if the music was carrying her, letting her leap and turn, not bothering to think about what she looked like.

It didn't matter. The important thing right now was the feeling of freedom, the dance letting her slip out of her body and into an old memory. She was no longer a terrified werewolf, daughter of two dead alphas. She was just Genevieve, a tiny ballerina with the ability to jetè slightly higher than before, her werewolf abilities enhancing her agility just slightly.

She wasn't even sure how long she danced for, letting the tracks on the CD blur together as she moved, barely stopping to take a breath. She was cut off though when the music was abruptly shut off with a click. Turning around sharply, Genevieve felt her jaw drop as she spotted Ursula Donati standing next to the boombox, arms folded across her chest and a scowl on her pretty face. She was wearing the dance school's standard black leotard and sheer stockings, her dark hair pulled into a tight ballet bun and she looked ever the professional dancer, making Genevieve feel incredibly underdressed and shabby.

"What are you doing here?" Ursula said after a moment, raising one eyebrow. "I have this room booked. For myself. As in no one else allowed," she added as if it wasn't obvious, her arms folded across her chest as she eyed Genevieve's shabby attire with a look of disdain.

"Oh, sorry! It was free when I got here," Genevieve said quickly, hugging her arms to her chest. "I-I just lost track of time, I guess. I'll uh- I'll get out of your way," she stammered, stumbling over to her tote bag lay on the floor.

Suddenly her bag looked incredibly tattered, especially compared to Ursula's brand new bag and Genevieve hated how it made her feel. It wasn't a new feeling, especially being a foster child. She was used to feeling like dirt, used to feeling like she was less than everyone around her, but lately that feeling had faded slightly. Until now, apparently.

"Good," Ursula said bluntly, clicking her tongue to hurry Genevieve up.

Ursula didn't move as Genevieve hurried back to the boombox to eject the CD. Instead she remained beside it, hovering impatiently over Genevieve as if her mere presence would make Genevieve move faster. To her credit, it worked and Genevieve was still zipping her bag back up as she slipped out of the room, her dignity trailing behind her along with her confidence.

Genevieve had just pushed the studio doors open, stepping out into the cool fresh air when she heard a voice shouting out in the dark.

"Gen- uh Genevieve! Um…Hi! So we kind of need your help?"

Genevieve frowned back, confused, as she spotted Liam Dunbar coming up to a skidding halt in front of her. She hadn't talked to Liam much even though he was Ariana's boyfriend and one of the few werewolves she knew who didn't have the whole thing down to an art already. If anything they should have been confiding in each other for ages, but as it was she'd barely spoken two sentences to him in the last few weeks, so this interaction was definitely odd.

"Okay? Um first of all who is 'we' and why do you need my help?" Genevieve asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder as she spoke. She glanced around for a second body or any kind of clue to help her work out what was going on as Liam continued to stare at her with his big blue puppy eyes.

Just as she finished speaking, a battered old blue jeep sped around the corner, clunking and spluttering slightly as it came to a halt just in front of Genevieve. Sitting at the wheel with a vaguely ominous grin was Stiles Stilinski.

"Hey kids, less chatting and more sleuthing!" he called out as he leaned across to swing the front passenger door open, eyebrows waggling.

"Please?" Liam offered as he moved towards the jeep with a sheepish expression.

Genevieve stared at the two boys in confusion, shaking her head slightly. "Um, sorry. I think Satomi is expecting me back now. I'm already kind of late," she said with a small shrug, clutching at the strap of her bag.

"Well if you're already late why not be a bit later. I'll even throw in a lift home. Can't refuse that kind of offer," Stiles said, drumming his hands on the steering wheel eagerly as he waggled his eyebrows again.

"Please?" Liam asked as he took a step backwards towards the jeep, his eyes trained on her, hopeful. "We could use your help," he added.

Normally Genevieve would have done more to protest, especially still being a little nervous about disappointing Satomi, but tonight was different. After feeling so inadequate around Ursula, something about the way Liam and Stiles were both looking at her made Genevieve take a moment to reconsider. Liam and Stiles didn't think she was useless, they weren't worried about her and fussing over her, like Brett would. They seemed genuine, both actually wanting her help. They needed her.

"Okay," Genevieve said finally, sighing reluctantly as she nodded.

The two boys both pumped their fists as Genevieve climbed in the back seat, throwing her ballet bag in beside her. She had a vague feeling she'd regret this but as the jeep rumbled off down the street, it felt nice to be a part of whatever the secret mission was.

* * *

Ariana walked along the quiet roads of Beacon Hills as the sun began to slowly sink out of sight, she let out a sigh, heavier than she'd anticipated. She hadn't realised how much tension she was carrying until now, but then again it wasn't surprising. There was only so much she could take before she snapped, and she was feeling closer to the edge every day.

Deaton certainly wasn't helping, with the way he so easily dismissed her worries and doubts over her powers. Ariana knew she couldn't expect quick results, she knew she had a lot to learn. But she had spent all summer reading and studying, and she felt no closer to controlling her powers than the first day she'd received them, almost giving Liam a concussion. She'd been making it up ever since, despite the supposed help she'd been told she would receive. Deaton seemed too focused on increasing her read count than actually training her. Sometimes Ariana wondered if he even knew what he was doing, or if he was making it up as he went along too. He didn't seem to relate to any of her struggles, barely raising an eyebrow at her concerns.

It felt like everyone was doing that these days. Everyone seemed so willing to brush off Ariana's fears, but she knew how she felt. She could feel the anxious energy bubbling through her, the flashes of darkness echoing in her mind.

Of course everyone wanted to hope for the best after the chaos of Mexico, but Ariana knew better. Something bigger and badder was coming. There was no way the Donas had disappeared. Lucas may have vanished along with any clues he might have had about the Donas and what she wanted, but it didn't mean the danger had disappeared. If anything, Ariana had a feeling the Donas was probably lying in wait somewhere, waiting to strike when everyone let their guards down. Waiting to see just how useless Ariana was.

Ariana was barely paying attention to where she walked, her mind too frazzled and irritated to really focus on much else. She'd intended to walk back to The Orphan's apartment, as much as her heart ached every time she crossed the threshold. She tried not to stay there too often, alternating between Liam and Scott's houses, but more often than not lately she'd found herself back at the old apartment, letting herself sink into memories and regrets. It was a good place to wallow in her own sinking sadness, reminding her of everything she'd lost and all the sanity she was slowly losing these days. Plus, as much as she liked staying at Liam's and as much as she appreciated Scott and his mother taking her in when she needed, neither place felt like home.

Still, her subconscious seemed to have other things planned as she walked. By the time she realised she'd walked far off her usual path, the sun had set, the gold tinted daylight disappearing below the roofs of the worn down houses Ariana wandered past.

Now the darkness started to sink in, the cool night air blowing over Ariana and causing a slight shiver to run down her bones. Ariana came to a slow halt, glancing around at her surroundings as she realised just how far she'd wandered. It was another twenty minutes back to the apartment, she estimated, assuming she took a few quick shortcuts through the back streets.

A shadow moved in the dark, light from a nearby street lamp catching their edges. It was enough to make Ariana stop in her tracks, wary as she squinted slightly to make out the figure in front of her. "Hello?" she called out, hugging her arms around her small frame as she came to a halt, too uncertain to step any closer.

The shadow didn't speak, but it seemed to be forming into real flesh and blood right in front of her eyes as the light flickered around their shape. Almost as if her eyes were adjusting to a figure that had always been there, as if she'd just been overlooking it until now. As if it had been close to her for longer than she knew.

Finally Ariana could see who it was.

And her heart stuttered.

"Vi?"

* * *

"This is such weird a weird bonding activity," Genevieve remarked softly as she trotted behind Liam and Stiles, hugging her arms around her body as she glanced around at the woods. They'd been wandering deeper into the forest for the last half an hour and Stiles was yet to fully explain what was going on.

"Shhh," Stiles hissed as he suddenly ducked down to the ground, his hands flailing in a wild signal for Liam and Genevieve to join him down alongside the bushes. Genevieve frowned but obliged, crouching down swiftly beside him. Liam was a little more clumsy, wobbling slightly as he tried to avoid a pile of sticks and fallen branches just begging to give them away.

Stiles rolled his eyes as Liam settled on his other side, nodding his head towards a dark figure moving ahead through the trees. "See? I told you he was up to something."

"I don't even know who 'he' is meant to be. You still haven't told me anything," Genevieve whispered back to Stiles, frowning. "Who are we stalking?"

"We're not stalking. We're sleuthing. We're tracking down danger," Stiles hissed back, his eyes wide as he spoke, passionate and determined.

Liam let out a huff from the other side of Stiles. "We just spent three hours watching this dude play video games in his bedroom. He'd better be out here covering up a mass murder."

"Let's find out," Stiles replied, nodding firmly, clearly the one in charge tonight as he was flacked by the two slightly confused wolves.

"Who?" Genevieve pressed again as they stood up to move onwards. She was squinting to try and make out any distinguishing features of whoever they were following but it was hard in the dark when she still wasn't to using her enhanced vision. "And why are we following a potential murderer? Shouldn't we get the rest of your pack? Or my pack?"

Stiles glanced at Genevieve, pursing his lips as if trying to decide if he could trust the wolf he had literally dragged along on his mission. She raised an eyebrow back at him, waiting.

"Fine, his name is Theo. Theo Ra-"

"Theo Raeken? Scott's friend?" Genevieve interrupted softly with a frown. Now that they were a little closer to Theo's silhouette, she vaguely recognised the boy she'd met the night before.

"How do you know Theo?" Liam asked, ducking under a branch as he walked.

"I met him last night. He came past Satomi's place looking for Scott so I gave him some directions," Genevieve answered with a shrug, her eyes focused on Theo's figure in the distance, watching the way he moved slowly through the woods, clearly set on a particular path. He was moving with precision, his steps intentional and determined as he weaved through trees and bushes, apparently unaware of the three figures following him in the dark.

"You gave- you told him-why? Why did you do that?" Stiles spluttered, doing his best to keep his voice down as he stopped in his tracks to stare at Genevieve.

"Because he asked me for help? And because I'm nice?" she offered with a helpless shrug. "Why? And why are we following him?"

"Because he's evil," Stiles hissed, leaning closer to tower over Genevieve slightly for emphasis.

The small wolf didn't appreciate this at all, inhaling slowly as she glared back at him. She barely knew Stiles but she didn't appreciate being told off for doing a nice thing without any reason behind it.

Stiles didn't see in the mood to elaborate any further though, too busy scanning the forest while Liam trudged along behind them.

There was a moment of silence between the three of them as Genevieve continued to stare impatiently at Stiles, but the silence was interrupted by Liam suddenly coming to a halt, his hand reaching out in a moment of panic. "No!" he whispered, dragging out the word.

Genevieve frowned as she spun around to look at Liam. Her eyes immediately roamed around the area for any sense of danger she might have missed while focusing on Stiles.

Stiles seemed less concerned as he stepped back to Liam, arms flailing in the air in annoyance. "What? What's wrong?"

"I forgot, I was supposed to meet Mason at the school gym," Liam explained, running a hand over his face.

"Okay, why didn't you just tell him?" Stiles asked, his voice still hushed but there was a level of confusion seeping through.

Liam dropped his hand from his face to stare at Stiles, helpless. "Tell him what? I can't just tell him anything?"

Stiles frowned back at him, apparently clueless about Liam's inner turmoil. "Why not?"

Liam shrugged. "Because I haven't…I haven't told him everything."

"Still? We said it was okay," Stiles said, sounding a little surprised.

As Liam began to splutter out a few excuses and concerns, Genevieve let her eyes wander around the forest, aware that Theo was currently out of sight again.

She could feel something in the air, like she was missing something. It was a similar feeling to the other night, when she'd been so sure someone was watching her. In the woods the feeling was even stronger, like any moment someone was going to step out into her line of sight. It was such a strong guttural instinct, but there was no one there.

Genevieve kept walking forward as Liam and Stiles spoke in hushed tones behind her, her eyes still searching around her. As they moved past a clump of trees, Genevieve caught a vaguely familiar scent, something she couldn't quite place. It forced her to stop in her tracks, frowning. She was about to speak when she heard a thud behind her.

Turning around, Genevieve noticed Stiles staring into a hole in the ground that Genevieve had managed to just narrowly miss when she had walked past it. Liam had apparently failed to do so.

"What the hell are you doing?" Stiles hissed to Liam, waving his hands in disbelief.

"I-" Liam spluttered from down in the hole, turning around to look at his new surroundings.

Stiles didn't let him explain himself though, rolling his eyes. "Hurry up. Stop screwing around," he said, tilting his head for Liam to move as he turned back to Genevieve. "Please tell me we have one competent wolf here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Found him," Genevieve whispered in response, raising one hand to point towards where she'd just managed to track Theo again, his presence bringing her back to the little mission at hand, the odd familiar scent already half forgotten. In the distance up a slight hill, Theo was standing at a small bridge, overlooking the stream that flowed underneath.

"Alright, try and get his scent. Get anything?" Stiles urged as Liam climbed out of the hole to join them again.

Liam paused for a second, tilting his head slightly with a shrug. "Soap. It's nice. It smells good."

Stiles sighed in exasperation. "Not his soap, his emotional state. Chemosignals, remember?" he reminded the two wolves, gesturing towards Theo again.

Genevieve held out a hand to stop Liam as he opened his mouth to argue, her brain focusing in on the scent underneath his soap. Brett had mentioned chemosignals to her in her training sessions and she knew he'd been impressed with how quickly she had picked things up. She was a born wolf by nature though, so it was partly to be expected.

As she focused in, she felt her brow furrow slightly, her head tilting to the side. "He's…sad. But it's more than that. It's grief…He's grieving." She trailed off as she watched Theo dropping a flower over the edge of the bridge, letting it slowly float until it landed in the river.

"Grief?" Stiles' eyes widened suddenly and he waved a hand frantically, indicating for Liam and Genevieve to move. "Oh-oh my God. Go! We have to go," he hissed, pushing Liam back in the direction they had been walking, nodding his head for Genevieve to follow.

"What? Why?" Liam asked, his voice matching Stiles' hushed tone

"Go! Right now. Just go. That's the bridge where they found his sister."

"What sister?" Liam continued his string of questions as he let Stiles move him.

"The one that got lost and died from exposure. He's leaving a flower for her," Stiles explained, huffing slightly as he moved. The huff was either from exasperation, embarrassment or his lack of stamina, Genevieve wasn't sure.

"That doesn't sound evil," Genevieve remarked half under her breath as she followed Stiles while Liam led the way, retracing their steps back out of the forest.

"Yes, I know. Thank you Genevieve," Stiles shot back, not even bothering to glance over his shoulder at her. His tone said enough and she could feel the glare he'd intended to shoot with it.

"What you guys doing?" a voice cut into the dark, causing the three of them to come to halt as they were suddenly faced with Theo.

He was standing a few feet away with a neutral expression on his face. How he'd managed to get there before them was a mystery but Genevieve was rarely surprised these days. She glanced at Stiles as he stepped in front of her and Liam, almost protectively.

"Stiles, we were in Little League together. Why are you so suspicious of me?" Theo continued, gazing at him, a small crease appearing on his forehead.

Genevieve was fully intending to listen to Stiles and his reasons for following Theo, since he seemed willing to explain himself to Theo even if he had never actually informed her, but a sound in the dark pulled her attention away. It sounded like someone stepping on a branch, the crack echoing in the dark. The others didn't seem to notice, or perhaps they brushed it off as just another animal in the woods.

But something about it felt jarring. Genevieve had the sudden sense along with the sound that someone else was still here, someone was watching. She felt her body coming to a still, freezing as she slowly eyed their surroundings, looking for any sign of movement. There was nothing though. No movement, as if whoever was watching had realised she was waiting, and refused to give in.

She was about to move closer to the source of the sound, curiosity getting the best of her, when Theo's voice caught her ear again, speaking slightly louder now.

"You know, Stiles, I came back here for Scott but I also came back for you. Someone like you. Someone who's willing to walk into the woods in the middle of the night to protect his friends. I don't have anyone like that, but Scott does." Theo was glancing sideways at Genevieve now, almost as if he was addressing her. "You all do. I know I'm in the right place. I'm meant to be here. I'm meant to be part of this pack," he finished, his eyes still lingering on Genevieve.

Genevieve couldn't help squirming slightly under his gaze, confused at what he was trying to insinuate. It was almost as if he was talking about her, but she was with Satomi's pack. Surely he knew that, since they had first met at Satomi's safe house. She was a part of that pack, where she belonged. She was only here to help because she'd been promised a ride home. But something told her that Theo knew more than he was letting on.

Theo didn't stick around much longer, obviously not wanting to linger on this discussion after mourning his sister. As soon as he disappeared there was a tense silence as Liam quietly led Stiles and Genevieve back to the jeep, neither wolf wanting to speak in case Stiles snapped at them.

Finally they reached the jeep, where Scott was already waiting, of course. He was leaning against the jeep, hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans as he watched them approach.

"Find anything?" Scott asked simply.

"Nope." Stiles's word was short and blunt as he folded his arms across his chest, stubborn and daring Scott to ask more questions.

"I fell in a hole," Liam offered up in an attempt to lighten the mood. Genevieve bit back a smile, ducking her head down quickly.

When she glanced up, Scott was looking at her, a gentle smile on his face. "Hi Genevieve. Does Satomi know you're out here?" he asked.

"Stiles and Liam kidnapped me," Genevieve replied helpfully, letting a cheeky smile slip onto her lips. "I've got a good sense of smell."

"You— Ugh. I mean yeah, she does. She's good." Stiles rolled his eyes as he reluctantly complimented her, shrugging his shoulders.

Scott was quiet for a moment as he turned back to Stiles, studying him for a beat before he spoke, one eyebrow raised. "It was the bridge where his sister died, wasn't it?"

Stiles let out a huff. "Yes, it was. Very embarrassing. So we are gonna leave now," he declared as he climbed into the driver's seat of the jeep, jiggling the keys for a moment, but the car had other plans. "Son of a- Liam, just do me a favor, get in the car and turn the ignition when I say," he said after a few seconds of failed attempts to start the car up.

Liam obliged, climbing into the driver's seat as Stiles moved to the bonnet of the car, lifting it up to fiddle with the engine as Scott stood by. Genevieve hovered awkwardly outside with them for a moment but it was clear that Scott had some things to discuss with Stiles. Taking her cue from Scott's careful glance, Genevieve hopped into the backseat of the jeep again, sitting diagonal to Liam as the two of them waited for more instructions.

"Do you think I should tell Mason?" Liam asked after a moment of awkward silence, turning in his seat to look at Genevieve.

Genevieve was mid-rummage of her dance bag and she stopped as Liam spoke to her, vaguely surprised that he was addressing her directly. They weren't exactly friends and she only really knew him in relation to Ariana. Even though they'd gone through the Mexico trip together, they still hadn't really spoken much.

"Oh, um. I mean if Stiles says it's okay then I think you can," she offered with a shrug, unsure of what the right answer was here.

"Have you told any of your friends?" Liam asked, pushing slightly. There was something in his tone, like he was searching for something, validation or hope.

Genevieve paused, thinking back to Corey and Lukas. They were her closest friends, her only friends not directly in the supernatural world and she hadn't even considered telling them. Not yet anyway. Then again, they were so wrapped up in their own world that she doubted they had noticed much.

Realising that Liam was still waiting for an answer, Genevieve shrugged as she shook her head gently. "No, but I don't have many friends to tell," she said with a half hearted smile. "Corey and Lukas haven't seemed to notice anything yet, and if they did…I don't think they'd believe me. Mason seems smart though. And he's friends with Ariana. I'm sure he's not completely clueless, right?"

Liam hesitated, frowning as he thought about it. "Yeah…I don't think Ari plans on telling him anything. She says we're protecting him by lying to him."

"Well she was an assassin. I doubt she wants him to know that," Genevieve said wryly, raising an eyebrow. She still couldn't fully wrap her head around Ariana's dark past, but she knew Ariana hadn't asked for that life, hadn't willingly put herself in that path. And she was better now. "But the supernatural stuff…that's different," she added.

"Yeah, but I don't want to upset her." Liam had a point, Ariana definitely seemed on edge these days and Genevieve didn't blame him for trying to avoid the wrath of the small druid. But surely Ariana knew Mason would find out soon, especially if he'd already been asking questions.

"But what if he finds out anyway? And it's not in your control? Wouldn't he be madder about that?" Genevieve asked, mostly thinking out loud as her mind wandered to her own friends, wondering how much Lukas and Corey suspected, if anything at all.

"Maybe…" Liam trailed off, pursing his lips as he got lost in thought. She knew he was probably thinking back to the drama that had ensued when the he and Ariana had revealed their abilities to each other. Genevieve knew that hadn't gone down well. "I don't even know how to tell him though," he added with a sigh. "How do you tell someone you're a werewolf? I mean someone without any abilities," he added.

"Maybe ask Scott?" Genevieve suggested after a moment. "But if you figure it out, let me know. Or maybe we just need to stick to having supernatural friends," she quipped, only half joking.

Liam let out a soft chuckle, nodding his head in agreement. "Good plan," he replied.

Before they could continue their little bonding session, Stiles let out a holla to Liam, pointing at the engine. "Ignition!" he called out. Liam quickly turned the key and let out a sigh of relief as the ignition finally kicked in, letting the engine turn on with a spluttering roar.

"Alright, let's get Genevieve back home," Scott declared as he hopped into the front passenger seat while Stiles flung the driver's side door open in a blunt hint for Liam to get out. Liam obliged, moving into the backseat beside Genevieve just in time for Stiles to hit the accelerator.

* * *

"You're home late." Satomi's voice was calm when Genevieve walked in the front door, but there was a devastating tone of disappointment bubbling underneath, causing Genevieve to squirm slightly under her gaze.

"I know, I'm so sorry. But my friends needed my help and they said they'd give me a ride home. I just didn't realise how late. I'm sorry," she added again, closing the door quietly and stepping into the house properly.

"Which friends?" It was as if Satomi already knew the truth, she was just waiting to see how much Genevieve would tell her.

Genevieve bit her lip, her arms moving to wrap themselves around her lithe frame. "Liam and Stiles," she answered quietly, well aware that Satomi would know who they were and she would probably make her own assumptions about what kind of help they needed from Genevieve.

Satomi was quiet for a moment, studying Genevieve as she stood, waiting for admonishment and some kind of punishment that was sure to come. "And did you help them?" she asked.

Genevieve hesitated, thinking for a moment. "I think so?" she said finally, still slightly unsure. She'd definitely helped determine Theo's chemosignals and emotions when Liam had struggled. Stiles had seemed impressed at least.

Satomi smiled finally, her posture softening as she nodded her head slightly. "I'm glad to hear it," she said, relaxing back into the couch and patting the spot beside her for Genevieve to join her.

"You're not…you're not mad at me?" Genevieve asked, hesitant as she slowly moved to the couch, sitting down gingerly, still waiting for the punishment to follow.

"I was concerned for you when you were late but I'm not angry at you, little one," Satomi said gently. It was a nice reminder, knowing she was somewhere safe now. Knowing that she was out of the old toxic foster home culture, where she was always in the wrong. Satomi was much nicer than any of her old carers, but maybe the was the perk of having an alpha.

"But remember, you are not part of Scott's pack. You are not obligated to help them when they call," Satomi continued.

Genevieve felt her shoulders slouch slightly, nodding. "I know, but if I can help, then shouldn't I? Isn't it the right thing to do?" she asked, shifting to look at Satomi. It had felt nice to help them, even if they weren't her pack members. They had felt like friends and she didn't have a lot of them.

Satomi tilted her head back and forth with a hint of resistance at Genevieve's words. "Sometimes. And sometimes helping someone can put yourself and your own pack at risk. Our pack tries not to interfere if we can help it. We are already at risk being who we are, we don't want to draw more attention," she explained calmly. "Understand?"

Genevieve bit her lip as she nodded. She knew all about staying under the radar, after all it was how she's managed to survive the numerous abusive foster homes. She was good at lying low, at staying out of trouble. Satomi's explanation made sense, especially being a werewolf. Now Genevieve had a pack to worry about too, of course she didn't want to bring them into danger too.

But as she finally headed to her bedroom where Lori was already fast asleep, Genevieve couldn't help the nagging feelings deep down. The odd scent in the woods and the feeling she'd been watched, it felt like she was missing something. She just didn't know what it was.

* * *

"Vi?" Ariana stared at her dead best friend, her heartbeat racing as she tried to comprehend what was going on. There was no way this was real. This was a dream. Some kind of odd hallucination. She'd been so stressed lately and she was clearly seeing things. It wouldn't be the first time she'd had a weird hallucination, but it was jarring nevertheless.

Violet gazed back at her, a hint of a smile peeking out on her pretty dark face. "Ari," she said softly, tilting her head. "Why are you here?"

"Why am I here? Why are you here?" Ariana shook her head in disbelief, her mind scrambling for answers. "Violet…You…You shouldn't be here."

" _You_ shouldn't be here," Violet emphasised as she continued to stare back at Ariana, calm and collected even in death. "You should be with them."

Ariana frowned "Who?"

"The wolves. Your wolf."

Ariana stared back at Violet, uncomprehending as her heart pounded in her chest, a cold reminder that it continued to beat while Violet's had stopped many months ago. "What? Why?" she asked.

Violet's expression remained unchanged. "They're in danger."

"From who?" Ariana pressed, feeling the urgency even as she dreaded the answer.

"From you."

Before Ariana could ask another question, Violet raised an eyebrow, glancing down at Ariana's tightly clenched fists.

Ariana slowly followed Violet's gaze, taking in a sharp breath as she noticed her entire body shuddering with uncontrolled energy, cracks already appearing on the muddy earth below her. As the ground rumbled below her, Ariana felt the tremors travelling down her body, rolling down in waves. She'd somehow started another earthquake without even noticing.

As Ariana stared up at Violet in horror, she took a step back, a whimper escaping her lips as she spotted the blood suddenly seeping down Violet's chest, the cruel wound Ariana had left in her suddenly visible. There was blood trickling down her lips now, her eyes suddenly gaunt as she stared at Ariana.

"You'll cause their ruin. You always do," Violet said calmly, her voice darker than before.

Ariana stared down at her hands, willing the tremors to stop, but the earthquake only seemed to grow, the ground rumbling loudly below her.

"Vi?" But when Ariana glanced up, helpless and terrified, Violet was already gone, no sign that she'd ever been there in the first place.

Ariana let her eyes close, breathing in slowly and deliberately as she willed the feeling to disappear too. As she opened her eyes, she was met with a shattering silence, reality crashing down around her. The earthquake was over, or maybe it had never happened. Maybe she'd imagined the entire thing along with Violet. But Violet had appeared for a reason. To warn her.

"Liam," Ariana breathed out, barely pausing before she took off running. Liam was meant to be meeting Mason for some late night training, which meant he'd be back at the school now. Which means for all she knew, Ariana had put two of the people she cared most about in danger.

She was so focused on finding her friends that she was completely oblivious to the other shadow lurking in the dark, her eyes not picking up the way they hovered, watching her as she disappeared down the street.

But the shadow remained, its owner staying hidden for now.

* * *

 **A/N: Ahhh sorry for the delay! My muse disappeared and life got overwhelming as it always does. But yay here is a lil update for you with some Genevieve goodness and some drAma building up. Let me know your thoughts/feelings/theories about this chapter! I love hearing all your thoughts and reviews really help motivate me :) Thanks to allybz, WildRecklessYouthInMe and January Lily for leaving lovely reviews on the previous chapter!**


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